Poland to Investigate if Tinky Winky is Gay

WARSAW, Poland -- Poland's conservative government is becoming increasingly bizarre in it's which hunt for anything deemed homosexual and Monday it was Tinky Winky and the other Teletubbies turn to be scrutinized.

Government-appointed children rights watchdog, Ewa Sowinska, told a local magazine she was concerned the popular BBC children's show promoted homosexuality, Reuters reports.

"I noticed (Tinky Winky) has a lady's purse, but I didn't realize he's a boy," Sowinska said.

"At first I thought the purse would be a burden for this Teletubby ... Later I learned that this may have a homosexual undertone."

She said she would seek advice from psychologists to to see if this was the case.

However, at least one member of the government said he had warned Sowinska. Parliamentary Speaker Ludwig Dorn said he had advised her against making public comments "that may turn her department into a laughing stock."

Poland's conservative government has upset human rights groups and drawn criticism within the European Union by apparent discrimination against homosexuals and this is just the latest in a series of anti-gay statements and actions.

In March, Poland's Minister of Education Roman Giertych said teachers thought to promote "homosexual lifestyle" would be fired, a mandate supported by Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kacyzinski. The Prime Minister said, "Nobody is limiting gay rights in Poland. However, if we're talking about not having homosexual propaganda in Polish schools, I fully agree with those who feel this way. Such propaganda should not be in schools; it definitely doesn't serve youth well. It's not in the interest of any society to increase the number of homosexuals — that's obvious."