CULTURE: Is Sesame Street Going Gay? FINALLY!

Are Bert and Ernie gay? Sesame Street fans have long suspected as much, considering the male puppets live together and sleep side-by-side on the children’s show, but a tweet sent by Bert in June added even more fuel to the fire: “Ever notice how similar my hair is to Mr. T's? The only difference is mine is a little more 'mo,' a little less 'hawk'” (gay activists read “mo” as slang for “homosexual”). The Los Angeles Times looks at the show's past season, and notes more evidence that Sesame Street is reaching out to the gay audience.

Gay guest stars like Wanda Sykes and Neil Patrick Harris (who played “the shoe fairy,” no less) have appeared; True Blood (the gayest show on TV) was parodied; will.i.am sang a song about accepting who you really are. The president of GLAAD suggests it's simply reflecting the fact that more gay couples are starting families, and “it's important that their children see representations of their families on their favorite shows.”