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Wednesday, August 17, 2011 | 8:03am
Are Bert & Ernie Gay? If So, Should They Get Married in support of LGBT?
Lobby group believes puppet nuptials will prevent hate crimes & bullying that has lead to deaths in LGBT community
As a 30 something without a kid of my own it has probably been decades since I last watched Bert and Ernie but last I checked the two weren’t gay were they? Hmmm….well they do live together. But they’re just friends right? Well not if Change.org has anything to do with it. The group lead by Lair Scott has started a petition which as of earlier this week had 8, 215 signatures demanding that the producers of Sesame Street make the puppets get married.
“In this horrific age of LGBT kids taking their own lives, they need to know that they ARE BEAUTIFUL and their lives are worth living,” the group said in a statement. “Aside from those that are committing suicide, the bullies that facilitate these tragedies need to learn that homophobia is NOT okay. They need to know that acceptance of their fellow human beings would indeed plant a seed of peace that will reverberate throughout the world. We are not asking that Sesame Street do anything crude or disrespectful. Only that they allow Bert & Ernie to marry or even add a transgender character to the show. It can be done in a tasteful way. Let us teach tolerance of those that are different. Let Sesame Street and PBS Kids be a big part in saving many worthy lives.”
I can dig it. I mean I understand the crisis facing adolescent LGBT community. We really need to address bullying, especially based on gender and sexual orientation which has lead directly or indirectly to the suicides of many youth across the country. But making Bert & Ernie not only Gay but a married couple isn’t going to change that. The two are just friends. The whole concept behind the show has always been to show that even though these two people, better yet puppets are so different and argue ALL THE TIME, they can still be friend.
“Bert and Ernie are best friends,” read a post on PBS’ Facebook page. “They were created to teach preschoolers that people can be good friends with those who are very different from themselves. Even though they are identified as male characters and possess many human traits and characteristics (as most Sesame Street Muppets do), they remain puppets, and do not have a sexual orientation.”
On top of that, Bert & Ernie reaches the wrong demographic. The idea is prevention. Lets reach these kids at an early age before they fully understand their own sexuality or biases. This proposal is of course in part fueled by the fact that Gay marriage was just passed in New York joining the likes of Massachusetts, Iowa, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Vermont and Washington, D.C. as states that are making money off the idea of people being gay although not fully supporting it.
The fact is, politically its hard to support it at the risk of losing your base. TV is a business. Please remember PBS, the channel that airs Bert & Ernie is funded by public contribution. The whole station would fold on its ass. A Gay Bert and Ernie will piss off a whole lot of people in this country. They can kiss their entire bible belt and Tea Party audience goodbye right off the bat. No parent with strong convictions about homosexuality is going to let their innocent child watch the program and probably boycott the station. Any good that COULD have been done will be wasted as the long-standing program will be cancelled.
Look, you’re not going to get me to say I’m pro or anti homosexual. I’m pro human. I think everyman and woman has the right to say they like or to bone whatever they want. Who am I to judge? If its right or wrong is not my decision. What we do however need to do is find a way to be more TOLERENT. I’m sorry, I can’t support Bert and Ernie cohabiting as gay puppets but I understand and support the end game.
FILED IN Editorials, Need to Know, TV
I agree with you 100% Juan. I don’t think that Seasame Street or PBS has an obligation to anyone except the people who fund them, which is to provide quality and educational programming. To show sexual preference on a children’s program is not in line with what an educational show should be. Basic human decency and 1,2,3′s are all a young and impressionable child should be learning in those formative years. Why teach them about tolerance regarding sexuality, when they don’t even know what sexuality is and how it relates to them? In all honesty, I believe that the LGBT community already has a few outlets where they are represented and tolerance is taught on teen-age platforms like “Degrassi” and others. That is where I believe it is needed. When teens are starting to go through changes and start to understand their sexuality and preference. It is here that they are most insecure and subject to bullying. Is there a need for more of these types of lessons on these shows? Yes. Do we need Nick Jr. and PBS to take part? No.
Great point. Think about it. Until just now when you read this post did you ever think about how old Bert is or if Ernie has a penis hell if he’s even a male let alone Gay. It doesn’t matter. He’s a puppet and at the end of the day its a very simple message the show is teaching. At the age of the audience, not only can they not handle the issue of sexuality but hell they couldn’t handle it if they started teaching lessons on more than 1 topic. Their brains aren’t developed yet to where they can process.
Pre-school is too soon to be discussing sexual identity, whether straight or gay.
.
I think things started going downhill when parents no longer sheltered kids from adult problems.
I gots 2 co sign with u Mr.Malcolm gr8 point.
Right as always.
I totally agree with the previous posts and add that there is a time, a place, and an avenue for everything. We as humans should not be turning to Sesame Street to teach our children about sex, sexual nature, or sexual tendancies. What age group does Sesame Street cater to? Newborn to what, six, even though I will still watch at 31 while flipping thru channels. Why does someone that young HAVE to know anything about sex? At 9, a couple of days ago in fact, in hearing about Bert and Ernie-Gate, LOL, my son asked my wife about what does gay mean and she told him. And that is how it should be.
This is a childdren’s show 1st of all and sex should not be even a topic even tho I did want 2 hit Maria when I was younger , hell still do being real but anywho back 2 the lecture at hand.Ernie and Bert r just muppets let’s not make this more than that.The show has been going strong since 1969 and I admire the show and still watch it with my 4yr old.There r some suspect characters on there if u think about it, like Big Bird and Snuffy if u want 2 talk about Gayness. My boy Kermit the Frog likes em thick Ms.Piggy be throwing that phatback at him on a regular.Cookie Monster smokes that Kush always got the munches 4 coooooookies!! At least there is no crime and no African Americans get’n beat down and or KKKilled by K.K.KOPS on Sesame Street.Shiiiit can some1 tell how 2 get 2 that mufucah!! N Bernie Mack voice.Oscar is a str8 up G tho!!
Oh that’s Oscar. He’s black and he lives in the slums and has a bad attitude and never brushes his hair.
LMMFAO!!!U r probably right if he were a person he would be black Mmmmmm Pork Rinds and mustard flavored Ice Cream .
T.V should never be in charge of educating your kids about anything, its the job of a parent to educate their children, so, they wanna flip Bert & Ernie just so lil kids can be taught that everyone is beautiful?, get the fuck out of here and if you’re a parent who lets T.V educate your kids on what is wrong right, beautiful or ugly, slap yourself, no one but a parent has the right to tell their own kids how they should view the world at an early age, when your kids get older and develop common sense, let them develop their own view of the world they live in and hope they can make a difference, but we live in a coward ass world in which we let others tell us how we should live and educate ourselves and kids and when things go wrong, start placing blame on others for our mistakes instead of pointing the finger back at each other, educate yourself and kids, dont let T.V tell you what is beautiful, what is right, wrong and what should be accepted and not, turning Bert & Ernie gay to “educate” kids on homosexuality, LMFAO!.