Are Bert and Ernie Gay?

[The Grims]

O course they are gay. They spend a lot of time with a man's arm up in their butt.

They also like to stick bananas in various orifices.

[Knask]

No they aren’t gay. It’s just a meme. They represent the friendship between Frank Oz and Jim Henson

You do know they had sex, right? Have you read his autobiography?

[Lux Bellorum]

Hey, even if you believe the nonprofit, that just means they're asexual instead of gay. Either way, the LGBT flag gets hoisted high.

[Chestaan]

The problem with saying that they are gay is that it comes from a place that assumes two men can't be great close friends without being gay. Now if Sesame Street were to bring in an openly gay couple that would be great, but assuming Bert and Ernie are gay comes from a dangerous place, one that assumes that males are, and must be, cold and distant to each other unless they have a sexual relationship.

[The New California Republic]

Mark Saltzman said his writing about the room-mating couple was based on his relationship with film editor Arnold Glassman.

"I always felt that, without a huge agenda, when I was writing Bert and Ernie, they were [a couple]," he said.

Mr Saltzman joined the show in 1984, 15 years after the pair debuted on the show.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-45566451

[The Grims]

The problem with saying that they are gay is that it comes from a place that assumes two men can't be great close friends without being gay. Now if Sesame Street were to bring in an openly gay couple that would be great, but assuming Bert and Ernie are gay comes from a dangerous place, one that assumes that males are, and must be, cold and distant to each other unless they have a sexual relationship.

Actually, it comes from the writer claiming he wrote the characters based on himself and his partner.

He is ADHD Ernie. His OCD partner is Bert. And they are both gay.

[The Huskar Social Union]

Eh, i honestly dont care that much if they are or not, doesnt bother me, they are just puppets in a kid show.

[The Two Jerseys]

Mark Saltzman said his writing about the room-mating couple was based on his relationship with film editor Arnold Glassman.

"I always felt that, without a huge agenda, when I was writing Bert and Ernie, they were [a couple]," he said.

Mr Saltzman joined the show in 1984, 15 years after the pair debuted on the show.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-45566451

Yeah, that would be like Raymond Benson coming along 50 years after Ian Fleming created James Bond and saying "I am the Author, and I say James Bond is bisexual!"...

[Page]

They're fucking puppets on a simplistic children's show, they don't have to have a romantic relationship at all. Asking if Bert and Ernie are gay is like asking Dora the Explorer's immigration status or how much is Mr. Krabs' net income after taxes, it's a waste of time to try to make an official canon around characters that aren't meant to be all that deep or interesting.

That said, Sesame Street Workshop made themselves look bad by making a point to outright deny it, they really should have just ignored it. Because now they've gone out of their way to insist that no, they aren't gay, which makes it look like they are cowering before the Christian fundie lobby. Even if that's not the case, it's how it comes off.

[Thermodolia]

No they aren’t gay. It’s just a meme. They represent the friendship between Frank Oz and Jim Henson

You do know they had sex, right? Have you read his autobiography?

Who? Frank and Jim? Ya they had sex with women.

The problem with saying that they are gay is that it comes from a place that assumes two men can't be great close friends without being gay. Now if Sesame Street were to bring in an openly gay couple that would be great, but assuming Bert and Ernie are gay comes from a dangerous place, one that assumes that males are, and must be, cold and distant to each other unless they have a sexual relationship.

Actually, it comes from the writer claiming he wrote the characters based on himself and his partner.

He is ADHD Ernie. His OCD partner is Bert. And they are both gay.

And the creators of Bert and Ernie said that they aren’t gay. You don’t get to claim something isn’t what it is after the fact

[Crockerland]

Sure, one or both of them might be gay, they are not in a relationship if that's what you're asking, as the creators have specified.

[Internationalist Bastard]

Look man all I’m saying is two bachelors living in the city who live together, go out together, bath together, and sleep together sounds like they’re not just roommates

[Uxupox]

who cares.

[Dumb Ideologies]

Look man all I’m saying is two bachelors living in the city who live together, go out together, bath together, and sleep together sounds like they’re not just roommates

They're a pair of deep-cover nazbol spies waiting to be activated, and the staying together at all times is part of the structure of the cell to avoid succumbing to individualism.

[The New California Republic]

Look man all I’m saying is two bachelors living in the city who live together, go out together, bath together, and sleep together sounds like they’re not just roommates

They're a pair of deep-cover nazbol spies waiting to be activated, and the staying together at all times is part of the structure of the cell to avoid succumbing to individualism.

They might even be Mormon missionaries, as they need to stay with each other at all times as well.

[Hammer Britannia]

Bert and Ernie don't dress well enough

[Big Jim P]

Irrelevant. They are sexless puppets.

[Sicaris]

They’re puppets ffs

[The New California Republic]

Irrelevant. They are sexless puppets.

Sexless? Sounds like marriage to me. The separate beds seems to fit as well...

[Dumb Ideologies]

They’re puppets ffs

aren't we all

[Xmara]

I thought they were brothers when I was little.

Anyway, I’m going with what the characters’ creators say on this one. They’re just two best friends who are also roommates.

[Auze]

Yes. It matters for the same reason it matters that they have a character in a wheelchair, or a character with autism, or a character with a parent in prison, or a character with a family member who went to war, or a character with a family member who died. All those things happen in the lives of children who watch Sesame Street. So does homosexuality. But that's apparently so awful that the possibility of two characters being gay needs to be disavowed.

I don't think there are any examples of puppets being heterosexual. Anyway, as one of the creators said, "their puppets, they have no sexuality, they don't exist below the waist".

[The New California Republic]

Yes. It matters for the same reason it matters that they have a character in a wheelchair, or a character with autism, or a character with a parent in prison, or a character with a family member who went to war, or a character with a family member who died. All those things happen in the lives of children who watch Sesame Street. So does homosexuality. But that's apparently so awful that the possibility of two characters being gay needs to be disavowed.

I don't think there are any examples of puppets being heterosexual. Anyway, as one of the creators said, "their puppets, they have no sexuality, they don't exist below the waist".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avenue_Q

[Mardla]

Staffer and Waldorf seemed a bit queer too, now that you mention it.

[Hammer Britannia]

Staffer and Waldorf seemed a bit queer too, now that you mention it.

You mean Statler and Waldorf?