Sesame’s Street’s Bert and Ernie (no last name) are gay and a same-sex couple, right? Didn’t you just always think that? After all, they live in the same apartment, share a bedroom (though not a bed,) spend a lot of time together, and are very good friends. Despite repeated statements from the Sesame Workshop states emphatically that Bert and Ernie are “just friends.” Well Change.org wants to change that. Or, specifically, Change.org wants Sesame Workshop to acknowledge that Bert and Ernie are gay and a same-sex couple.
A petition started Monday by Lair Scott at Change.org, which has close to 250 signatures already, states,
“It’s important for our children to be educated that it’s okay to be gay. For over 40 years, our beloved Sesame St. characters, Bert and Ernie, have been living as ‘roomates’ and we would like PBS and Sesame St. to allow them to live as a gay couple and maybe eventually, marry. It would show children and their parents that not only is it acceptable but also teach children that homophobia is wrong, bullying is wrong and that Sesame street should recognize that there are LGBT relationships, families, and include them in their show.
“We’re not here to debate our mission but we are here to educate. Please share our link with other friendly walls and join us in our quest to bring Bert and Ernie to the forefront of educating our children, to say “Gay is okay” !! :)”
In 1997, Ernie said, “All that stuff about me and Bert? It’s not true. We’re both very happy, but we’re not gay.”
“Bert and Ernie, who’ve been on Sesame Street for 25 years, do not portray a gay couple, and there are no plans for them to do so in the future,” stated Sesame Workshop back in 1993. “They are puppets, not humans. Like all the Muppets created for Sesame Street, they were designed to help educate preschoolers. Bert and Ernie are characters who help demonstrate to children that despite their differences, they can be good friends.”
You can sign the petition, and read more on Facebook.
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