Nickelodeon Maybe Just Confirmed SpongeBob Is Gay In Pride Month Tweet
The internet thinks SpongeBob is gay after Nickelodeon shares photos of the Bikini Bottom dweller in Pride month tweet
In honor of Pride month, Nickelodeon sent out a low-key tweet in the wee hours of Saturday, June 13, 2020 to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, but in doing so, they sent the internet into a tizzy as everyone began to wonder if the iconic Bikini Bottom character SpongeBob SquarePants is gay. However, true Nick fans know that SpongeBob is asexual (and therefore still under the LGBTQ+ umbrella), but more on that later.
“Celebrating #Pride with the LGBTQ+ community and their allies this month and every month,” Nickelodeon wrote alongside rainbow-hued images of SpongeBob, the character Schwoz Schwartz from Henry Danger, and Korra from the Avatar spin-off show Legend of Korra.
It makes sense to include the character Schwoz Schwartz, because the actor — Michael D. Cohen — who plays him, is a trans man. And then Korra is queer and the series ended with Korra riding off into the metaphorical sunset with the show’s other female lead, so that leaves us with SpongeBob‘s inclusion in the tweet, which means that Mr. SquarePants is either under the LGBTQ+ umbrella or is an ally. Either way, it’s awesome.
Although the folks on Twitter have made SpongeBob into a gay icon, it’s more likely that Sponge’s inclusion in the LGBTQ+ community is that he’s asexual, which falls under the “+” in LGBTQ+.
In the early 2000s, the show’s late-creator Stephen Hillenburg said that Spongebob (and Patrick) were both asexual, after fans wondered if the show’s twosome were a couple.
“We never intended them to be gay,” Hillenburg said in 2005. “I consider them to be almost asexual.”
Also like, sea sponges are asexual, so this tracks.
Of course, where there is inclusivity, there’s a conservative who hates it. When Nickelodeon shared the tweet, all sorts of “they’re pushing a gay agenda” pearl-clutching occurred on social media.
Maybe SpongBobe is gay, maybe he’s asexual, regardless, SpongeBob is awesome and if a viral tweet about a possibly gay cartoon sponge helped some people learn a bit more about asexuality and its representation under the rainbow flag, that sounds good to us. Happy Pride month!
