Happy Pride Month: Spongebob Is Queer
Nickelodeon confirmed that Spongebob Squarepants is a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community.
Though parades have been canceled for obvious reasons, we can't forget that Pride Month is upon us.
In lieu of in-person festivities celebrating the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, brands are using their social media platforms to share their support for the LGBTQIA community. Nickelodeon is among them, insinuating that one of their very own—Spongebob Squarepants—could very well be a gay (sponge)man. "Celebrating #Pride with the LGBTQ+ community and their allies this month and every month," the TV channel wrote on Twitter, along with a photo of everyone's favorite marine sponge.
Nickelodeon must've known this secret message would throw viewers through a loop; they limited replies to only accounts they follow. They have no time for slander against Spongebob's sexuality, lest we forget he is a cartoon.
But many weren't shocked by the news. As many Twitter users pointed out, Spongebob's behavior has often been received as canonically gay. Few characters in the Spongebob Squarepants have romantic relationships, so we, unfortunately, can't use that as a factor—but from his apparent attraction to Squidward and a habit for dressing in traditionally feminine clothing, Spongebob certainly doesn't give us much ground to assume he's heteronormatively straight.
This certainly isn't the first time Spongebob's sexuality has been debated. Back in 2005, the late Spongebob Squarepants creator Stephen Hillenburg told People that he hadn't put much thought into his character's attraction. "We never intended them to be gay," he said. "I consider them to almost be asexual." But because sexuality is layered and complex, it's possible that Spongebob might be asexual and homoromantic: experiencing no sexual attraction but experiencing romantic attraction to his same gender.
Regardless of how Spongebob identifies, though, it's important to have varying sexualities represented in television without it being a character's main defining trait. Queer characters are still disproportionately underrepresented in media (particularly bisexual and asexual characters), and it's especially crucial for the formative minds of children to understand that there are plenty of people out there who are attracted to their same gender, all genders—or none at all.
Spongebob could very well be the queer king that kids need. But he's also a fictional underwater sponge who wears pants, so what's not to love?