Bert and Ernie Are Puppets, Not Homosexuals

The headline is one I never imagined I would write.  The picture below will be The New Yorker magazine cover next week.  It is a picture of Sesame Street’s popular characters Bert and Ernie watching coverage of the Supreme Court overturning the Defense of Marriage act snuggling on the couch with Ernie’s head on Bert’s shoulder.

They provide the cover story:

“It’s amazing to witness how attitudes on gay rights have evolved in my lifetime,” said Jack Hunter, the artist behind next week’s cover, “Moment of Joy.” Hunter, who originally submitted his image, unsolicited, to a Tumblr, continued, “This is great for our kids, a moment we can all celebrate.”

First off, no this isn’t great for our kids.  Secondly, growing up with Bert and Ernie I’m not sure why some homosexuals point to Bert and Ernie and think they are gay.  That thought never crossed my mind when I was a kid watching the show.  They are supposed to be best friends who share an apartment.  Yes they shared a room – it was a one bedroom apartment.  They didn’t share a bed.  Don’t believe me?  Take Sesame Street’s word for it then.

Bert and Ernie are best friends. 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.

Duh.  It’s a children’s show.  They are puppets.  None of the characters exhibit any type of sexuality – that isn’t what the show’s about.  Apparently some have to project their agenda onto the program.  This reminds me of how some will say that Jonathan and David in the Bible were gay because they loved each other and kissed (forget the fact this isn’t unusual in Near Eastern culture, but I digress).