The Viacom-owned channel has received thousands of telephone calls and emails from individuals protesting about the decision to broadcast the programme.
The 'Linda Ellerbee's Nick News' special focuses on children who have gay parents. The half-hour show, which airs tonight at 9pm on Nickelodeon in the US, is part of a series of 'Nick News' reports themed "My Family Is Different".
In the programme, children aged between 10 and 15 years old with gay parents were interviewed and give their opinions.
The channel is being targeted by the fundamentalist Christian right, which has been rallying supporters to contact the station to have the programme pulled, arguing that it is not suitable for young viewers.
Nickelodeon says it is going ahead with the broadcast, but has taken the decision to show it outside of "primetime for kids" hours. It has stressed that the show is "not in any way" about the homosexual lifestyle, she said.
One group, the Traditional Values Coalition, in an open letter to Nickelodeon president Herb Scannell, said the channel was "being used to indoctrinate children into acceptance of homosexuality as normal behaviour". The group has in the past described homosexuality as a "curable sexual identity disorder".
A spokesman for the Traditional Values Coalition said: "They have been led to believe that Nick is a safe harbour. Now they've been exposed. The skirt has been lifted and Nick has been exposed."
The programme, which also features gay comedienne Rosie O'Donnell, has Ellerbee as host to a group of kids, who watch a number of clips and comment on them. Not all are in favour. Of the kids appearing on the show, three have one or more gay parents while others identify themselves as devout Christians who believe see homosexuality as sinful.
The programme also features televangelist Jerry Falwell who says "gay parenting is not overall a good thing".
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