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

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


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