Spongebob Squarepants celebrates Pride Month

A number of media reports have claimed Spongebob Squarepants as a gay animated character following a social media post by Nickelodeon.

“Celebrating #Pride with the LGBTQ+ community and their allies this month and every month,” it read.

June is Pride Month in the USA.

Celebrating #Pride with the LGBTQ+ community and their allies this month and every month 🌈 ⁣
(🎨: by @ramzymasri) pic.twitter.com/pENmTaQB0h

— Nickelodeon (@Nickelodeon) June 13, 2020

But there was no further information forthcoming, aside from scenes across the series that followers drew attention to.

SpongeBob SquarePants has been airing since 1999 with feature-length movies and a third movie on the way.

In 2005, a promotional video showed SpongeBob along with other characters from children’s shows singing together to promote diversity and tolerance. Creator, Stephen Hillenburg, who passed away last year, previously said of his characters, “We never intended them to be gay. I consider them to be almost asexual.”

The other images were of  Avatar Korra from The Legend of Korra who identifies as bisexual, and a transgender actor Michael D. Cohen from Henry Danger.

The latest social media posting is certainly supportive and inclusive -although refers to “their allies” not “our allies.”

Spongebob Squarepants airs in Australia on Nickelodeon and 10 Peach.