SpongeBob is gay

If your children watch SpongeBob SquarePants cartoons, then you have a big decision to make about whether you will allow them to continue doing so.

The popular cartoon character’s status as an LGBTQ+ icon has been confirmed by Nickelodeon, with the TV network posting an image of SpongeBob, transgender actor Michael Cohen and Korra from The Legend of Korra, who is bisexual, on Twitter.

The tweet read: “Celebrating #Pride with the LGBTQ+ community and their allies this month and every month.”

The announcement prompted “SpongeBob is gay” to start trending on Twitter – although Nickelodeon didn’t specifically confirm the character’s sexuality.

Speculation about SpongeBob’s sexual identity has been swirling for years, but in 2005, Stephen Hillenburg – the show’s creator, who died in November 2018 revealed he never intended for SpongeBob or his best friend, Patrick Starfish, “to be gay”.

He explained at the time: “I consider them to be almost asexual. We’re just trying to be funny and this has nothing to do with the show.”

Hillenburg also insisted the popular cartoon series preaches a message of “tolerance”.

He said: “I do think that the attitude of the show is about tolerance. Everybody is different, and the show embraces that. No one is shut out.”

Nickelodeon turned off the comments to the post except for people followed by the network.