Chicago resident Lair Scott has started a petition on Change.org for Sesame Street Workshop to out the beloved Bert and Ernie as a gay couple.
This movement follows the hard won legalization of gay marriage in New York state.
PHOTOS: Gay Marriage In New York Is Legal
The petition already has over 500 “signatures” and has become a hot and controversial news topic in the past few days.
This is not the first time the rumor mill has spun about the 40-year-old puppets.
In 2007, a similar thing happened and CEO of Sesame Workshop Gary Knell said that:
“They are not gay, they are not straight, they are puppets … they do not exist below the waist.”
Scott has since made another petition to “Let Bert and Ernie Get Married On Sesame Street” which has blown up to well over 4,000 virtual signatures.
He insists that, “We are not asking Sesame Street to do anything crude or disrespectful. It can be done in a tasteful way. Let us teach tolerance of those that are different.”
Sesame Street responded yesterday:
“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.”
Sesame wants to set the record straight that they do not have sexual orientations and are just puppets!
Scott continues to press forward with what he believes in, but it might just be easier to introduce a whole new character that is gay on the Sesame Show.
What do you think?
