Nickelodeon Confirms SpongeBob SquarePants Is Part of the LGBTQ+ Community

Nickelodeon is celebrating Pride Month by honoring some of its LGBTQ+ characters and actors — and that seemingly includes the iconic and beloved cartoon, SpongeBob SquarePants.

The popular children’s network took to Twitter on June 13 to share a tweet about Pride while shouting out a few familiar faces. “Celebrating #Pride with the LGBTQ+ community and their allies this month and every month 🌈,” the official Nickelodeon Twitter account wrote. The tweet was accompanied by colorful graphics from artist Ramzy Masri featuring Henry Danger’s Michael D. Cohen, Avatar Korra from The Legend of Korra, and SpongeBob himself. The inclusion of the cartoon sponge ignited a social media conversation surrounding SpongeBob’s sexual identity, with some folks declaring him “a gay icon.”

Others are pointing out that SpongeBob creator Stephen Hillenburg once described the show’s title character as asexual — which, of course, also is part of the LGBTQ+ umbrella. “We never intended them to be gay,” Hillenburg said of SpongeBob and Patrick in 2005, per People. “I consider them to be almost asexual.” (FYI someone can be both gay and asexual, as such identities are not mutually exclusive.) In referencing Hillenburg's comments, fans are also emphasizing that asexual representation on TV and in pop culture is lacking, and more inclusion is sorely needed.

As for the other pictures in Nickelodeon’s Pride tweet, actor Michael D. Cohen opened up last year about transitioning, telling Time: “I was misgendered at birth. I identify as male, and I am proud that I have had a transgender experience — a transgender journey.” And fans have long celebrated Korra as a bisexual icon, with one writing on Twitter: “Korra is literally the reason I was finally able to feel good about myself as a bi girl — this makes me immensely happy.”

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