Is Sesame Street Going Gay?

Bert may have finally come out, plus more evidence
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 25, 2010 10:00 AM CDT
'Sesame Street' Becomes More Gay-Friendly; Bert May Have Even Come Out
Characters from Sesame Street Live appear on the street by Madison Square Garden to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the stage shows based on the PBS television series in New York, Feb. 4, 2010.   (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Are Bert and Ernie gay? Sesame Street fans have long suspected as much, considering the male puppets live together and sleep side-by-side on the children’s show, but a tweet sent by Bert in June added even more fuel to the fire: “Ever notice how similar my hair is to Mr. T's? The only difference is mine is a little more 'mo,' a little less 'hawk'” (gay activists read “mo” as slang for “homosexual”). The Los Angeles Times looks at the show's past season, and notes more evidence that Sesame Street is reaching out to the gay audience.

Gay guest stars like Wanda Sykes and Neil Patrick Harris (who played “the shoe fairy,” no less) have appeared; True Blood (the gayest show on TV) was parodied; will.i.am sang a song about accepting who you really are. The president of GLAAD suggests it's simply reflecting the fact that more gay couples are starting families, and “it's important that their children see representations of their families on their favorite shows.”
(More Sesame Street stories.)

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