The Outing of SpongeBob

Spongebob

My coworker couldn't have expressed it better:

"First they came for Tinkie Winkie and I did not speak out because I was not a Teletubby. Then they came for Barney and I did not speak out because I was not a happy go lucky, carefree overweight purple reptilian children's show star.

Then they came for Spongebob Squarepants and this time I didn't keep my mouth shut because someone has to speak up for defenseless outted animated characters everywhere that are not programmed to protect themselves against the malevolent assault often waged by the fearful and uninformed.

Spongebob may not be gay after all. He lives in a pineapple under the sea, has a square head, only a few teeth, and no fashion sense. Sounds like Spongebob would be the "Straight Guy" in "Queer Eye for the straight Guy" "

Spongebob should be left alone, and Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family should learn to draw better distinctions. There's a difference between promoting tolerance of a lifestyle and promoting the lifestyle itself. First of all, it's questionable that sexual preference is a "lifestyle" (i.e, willful choice) at all. Promoting gayness would be like promoting blackness or femaleness. People are what they are, and what any of us gets in this life is due as much to the Wheel of Fortune as personal choice. Tolerance says, "I will not fire you, beat you up, discount your personhood or encourage others to do the same". It does not encourage any kind of "recruitment" process or "lifestyle" embrace. Tolerance, Mr. Dobson, is not a dirty word. And you make yourself look silly by impugning the motives of a cartoon character.

In closing, I feel a need to quote Sister Sledge: "We are family!" :-)