[jQuery] .html() is rewriting & to &

[rmirabelle]

the .html() function is rewriting all instances of & to & without
my permission:

example:

$('#div').html("http://www.coolsite.com?x=1&y=2";);

the div then shows:

http://www.coolsite.com?x=1&y=2

how can I prevent this behavior?

Thanks in advance