Category: TV
Stay updated with the latest in LGBTQ+ entertainment through Gayety’s comprehensive coverage of television news and features.
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Here’s A Look At The Gay Dad’s On ‘The Proud Family’ Reboot
Fans are getting another look at The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, which features queer characters!
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West Side Story’s Ariana DeBose Says ‘Still Work to Be Done’
Ariana DeBose Is Celebrating Her Golden Globes Win, But Says There Is “Still Work to Be Done.”
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Is Spongebob Gay? Analyzing The Evidence
Is Spongebob Gay? This Is What Nickelodeon And The Series Creator Says
There’s been a long debate around the question: Is Spongebob gay?
Suffice to say that Spongebob is nothing short of a queer icon as far as internet culture is concerned. But in case you missed it, everyone’s fave absorbent, yellow, and porous cartoon character might’ve come out in 2020. That’s right, Nickelodeon has fueled the internet’s theories and tested our meme-making abilities.
We’re here to finally put the rumors to an end. The short answer: Nobody has explicitly said that Spongebob is gay.
According to Nickelodeon, Spongebob Squarepants is at least a member of the LGBTQ community. But whether he’s explicitly gay is another question, which has been answered previously by Spongebob Squarepants creator Stephen Hillenburg.
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When Did Spongebob Squarepants Come Out?
Well, technically he hasn’t – he’s a cartoon. But Nickelodeon has celebrated Spongebob as a member of the LGBTQ community. During pride month in 2020, Nickelodeon proved Spongebob to be at least on the LGBTQ spectrum.
On June 13, 2020, Nick tweeted: “Celebrating #Pride with the LGBTQ+ community and their allies this month and every month.” The tweet included images of Nickelodeon’s popular characters: Spongebob Squarepants, Schwoz Schwartz from Henry Danger, and Korra from Avatar: The Legend of Korra.
Spongebob’s inclusion in the tweet both confused and excited the internet. See, Korra, at the end of the series, was canonically written out to be bisexual. Actor Michael D. Cohen who plays Schwoz in Henry Danger has also openly talked about his transition.
While the tweet includes Spongebob, Nickelodeon has never explicitly stated his sexuality. Still, the tweet went viral, and as a result, the LGBTQ community and their allies ran with it.
View this post on InstagramIs Spongebob Squarepants Gay: A Long Debate
The widely popular hit TV show Spongebob Squarepants created by Stephen Hillenburg first aired on Nickelodeon in 1999. It has remained one of the top kid’s animation shows for most of the 21st century. It’s even the fifth longest-running American animated series to date, spanning out into multiple spinoff series, feature films, and even a critically acclaimed Broadway musical.
Spongebob Squarepants has been airing and constantly rerunning on Nickelodeon for decades. With the show running this long, there’s been a lot of speculation since the early 2000s that Spongebob is gay.
Most don’t doubt that he’s queer. We’ve seen Spongebob serve serious looks beside his usual square pants, white button-down, and tie – not to mention, that rainbow hand gesture.
People also took his extremely close relationship with Patrick Star as proof. Others chalked it up to Spongebob’s personality. We can’t count the times that Patrick – starfish, trendsetter, model best friend – has had a queer-passing moment with Spongebob on the show.
A particular episode sparked quite the controversy in 2002 with the Spongebob Squarepants episode entitled “Rock-a-Bye Bivalve.” In the episode, Spongebob and Patrick take on the role of parents when they adopt a baby clam. Spongebob acted as the mother figure, and Patrick the dad.
After the episode aired, the show was heavily criticized for normalizing diversity and for promoting gay marriage.
360b/Shutterstock.com Spongebob Creator Responds To “Spongebob Is Gay” Controversy
Despite all this, the show’s creator, Stephen Hillenburg, has always asserted otherwise. He insists that Patrick and Spongebob are just best friends.
In response to critics, Stephen Hillenburg denied Spongebob was gay, saying he never intended for that subtext. He even said that he considers his characters to be asexual – sea sponges and starfish are neither male nor female. As a marine science teacher, Hillenburg inserted as many real-life characteristics into his characters.
So Spongebob Squarepants and Patrick Starfish co-parenting together isn’t that deep. The show was simply meant to be funny and entertaining.
Stephen Hillenberg passed away in 2018. The show remains to be his greatest legacy as a marine scientist and artist.
Grindstone Media Group/Shutterstock.com More Spongebob Gay Memes If You Need A Good Laugh
Think what you want of Spongebob’s sexuality. At the end of the day, the talking yellow sponge is and will likely always be loved and memeified. And we love to see it.
In honor of the plausibly gay icon, here are some of the funniest gay Spongebob memes we’ve seen.
A Shocking Revelation
ok now i see y spongebob gay pic.twitter.com/dCPWqZgti2
— tony???? (@welovetony) June 23, 2020
The Signs Were Everywhere
https://twitter.com/IcyTheIcyiest/status/1274587972835274753
We Gotta Rise UP!
https://twitter.com/brittany_broski/status/1271969675077750785
Straight Denial
https://twitter.com/thiccthwaites/status/1272049711944331264
So…Is Spongebob Squarepants Really Gay?
Not exactly gay, but rather nonbinary and asexual. So he’s still part of the LGBTQ community. And just because you’ve crafted a rainbow from your hands or did a good job raising a baby clam with your best friend doesn’t mean you’re automatically gay.
So what do you think? Is Spongebob Squarepants gay, ace, or do you have other speculations? Which other cartoon characters do you think we should celebrate pride with?
RELATED | Mister Rogers Was Allegedly Bisexual, and Twitter Is Thrilled
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Will Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper Become A Thing?
For years fans have wondered if Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen have ever been a thing.
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Conservatives Blame “Glee” For Starting Cancel Culture
Turns out we can thank the hit show Glee for introducing the world to cancel culture and wokeness.
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Amy Schneider is Making Transgender History on Jeopardy!
Amy Schneider is Jeopardy’s Winningest Woman, so Who’s Mad About It?
Possibly a win away from a million dollars and the record books, Amy Schneider is a few games away from cementing her legacy among Jeopardy greats. While her run has not come without controversy, it isn’t truly due to Ms. Schneider herself, but rather the public’s reaction to her as Jeopardy’s most successful transgender contestant.
View this post on InstagramRELATED | Trans ‘Jeopardy!’ Champ Amy Schneider Makes History Again
The Board Is Yours
Amy Schneider was born in Ohio, and in the eighth-grade was voted “Most likely to appear on Jeopardy!” by her classmates. She moved to Oakland in 2009 to help with her ex-wife’s career, and in 2016 she started to transition to living as a woman. “When I say I realized I was trans in 2016, I’m simplifying a process that in some ways had been going on my whole life,” she says, clarifying in a tweet, “but 2016 was when I finally realized I was living a lie, and began to let my true self show.”
In November, she beat five-time champion Andrew He to become Jeopardy champion, and is currently on a 26-game winning streak, garnering the fourth-highest in winnings and holding the fourth-most consecutive games of any Jeopardy contestant. All-time, she is the most successful woman and openly transgender contestant to ever appear on the show.
JessicaGirvan/Shutterstock.com Daily Trouble
This is the sticking point for many of her detractors. Most of them can’t accept that Jeopardy’s most successful female competitor is transgender. For Amy Schneider, harassment is a daily experience on Twitter, where droves go on a campaign of transmisogyny and misgendering that one can only describe as fanatical. Plenty of commenters take time out of their day to insist “it’s a man” or “she’s taking away records meant for women”.
Funnily enough, arguments that Ms. Schneider’s successes come from her “biological gender” reveal a deeply misogynist belief held by transphobes: that women are inferior to men. I mean think about it, what difference should it make that she’s a man or a woman in a trivia show? Seriously believing that she has an unfair advantage means that there’s a sincere belief that a woman could not compete on the same level as a man, even on an intellectual level.
What do these people really want? If it wasn’t already obvious, what they’re advocating for is the blocking of transgender people from ANY kind of competition, physical or mental. Even when sporting bodies have already set rules and regulations for trans athlete’s hormone levels (a whole other bag of worms in its own right), cries of “unfairness” abound.
When trans men compete, they’re dismissed as being too “uncompetitive” in their fields. At the same time, they actively ignore the fact that trans women have not gained any kind of dominance in womens’ sport. Transphobes’ real aim is not advancing womens’ rights or seeking fairness in competition, but the erasure of trans people from public view.
View this post on InstagramAmy Schneider Is A Champion In Many Ways
Amy Schneider has been an amazing role model for women and trans people as she continues her historic run on Jeopardy. “The fact is, I don’t actually think about being trans all that often, and so when appearing on national television, I wanted to represent that part of my identity accurately: as important, but also relatively minor,” she said.
“But I also didn’t want it to seem as if it was some kind of shameful secret. While it’s gratifying to know that people didn’t necessarily know I was trans until they read about it, I do want people to know that aspect of me. I think being trans is really cool!”
On the first weekend of January, Amy Schneider was robbed in Oakland. Her cellphone and wallet among the items stolen. While she apologized for having to fall behind on post-game recaps, it was an opportunity to show that despite the hate hurled her way, many more people were there to offer love and support.
“Take it a step at a time… you’ll get it done… though it is a real pain. Stay the course! You’re such an awesome lady!” someone wrote. “Peaceful vibes, love, and hugs your way, my dear. Keep your chin up. You’re an inspiration to us all!” said another fan. Jeopardy fans everywhere are standing against the harassment, proving that there are plenty more people ready to give love in the world than hate.
Holding herself up with poise and good humor, it doesn’t seem like there’s anything getting in the way of her historic run except for whatever answers Jeopardy will throw at her. For Amy Schneider, Jeopardy history is only days away, and we’re all waiting with bated breath to see it.
RELATED | A Brief But Thorough History of the Word ‘Transgender’
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Yaz Finally Admits Her Feelings for the Doctor on ‘Doctor Who’
The Doctor and Yaz are one step closer to becoming a couple on Doctor Who.
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Crackle Teases “Men of West Hollywood” on Instagram
Men of West Hollywood, an unscripted docu-reality series, is airing on Crackle later this month and it’s bringing the drama.
If you enjoy reality show drama, MoWH might be for you. This 10 episode series follows the lives of six well-known socialites living, working and partying in one of Los Angeles’ hippest zip codes.
Crackle posted the trailer for the show to their Instagram channel:
View this post on InstagramWhat’s the show about?
The show follows three gay men and three straight men as they flaunt their lavish lifestyles. Joined by their girlfriends, boyfriends, besties and frenemies, this drama-driven series dishes a lot of dirt. But there are also tender moments of finding love and heartbreak.
Relationships are put to the test against a backdrop of nightclubs, private pool parties, sexy fashion shows and photoshoots.
Who’s the cast of Men of West Hollywood?
The primary cast of the show are:
– Brennen Taylor | YouTube superstar
Crackle / Gabriel Goldberg – Darren Tieste | a celebrity photographer
Crackle / Gabriel Goldberg – David Barta | an up-and-coming underwear model/actor
Crackle / Gabriel Goldberg – Justin Jedlica | known as “The Human Ken Doll”
Crackle / Gabriel Goldberg – Landon Wettersstrom | luxury property owner
Crackle / Gabriel Goldberg – Murray Swanby | a party promoter
Crackle / Gabriel Goldberg When and where can you watch Men of West Hollywood?
Men of West Hollywood will premiere on Crackle, January 20, 2022.
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Colton Underwood Gets Serious With Boyfriend
Colton Underwood and his boyfriend Jordan C. Brown are getting serious.
