It's been a long-standing rumor that roommates Bert and Ernie of Sesame Street are actually a gay couple. The basis for this lies in the fact that they share a bedroom together and have been roommates for 40+ years. This, no doubt, has caused them to become unintentional gay icons, whether they are gay or not, as some gay advocates consider them a great representation of a normal, monogamous, healthy relationship... although most wouldn't consider a couple sleeping in separate beds to be "healthy" or "normal." The Sesame Workshop has gone on record as stating that Bert and Ernie are puppets who aren't gay or straight because "they don't exist below the waist." Furthermore, The Sesame Workshop has made it clear that they were created to educate preschoolers that people can be best friends/roommates despite their differences and that the relationship between Bert and Ernie was actually inspired by the real-life friendship of Jim Henson and Frank Oz. This only strengthens the duo's status as gay icons because as roommates who tend to bicker and drive each other crazy on Sesame Street, they promote tolerance and the forming of friendships with those who are very different from ourselves. In a world driven by materialism, no one in this world is too rich to turn down the chance to make a real friend.
Tommy Bobby Watanabe is an aspiring American novelist, stage actor, playwright, former LGBT rights activist, and has three years of independent professional wrestling experience and has been a big fan since 1998. An avid horror movie buff and comic book aficionado, TBW is honored to be featured on WhatCulture with some of the Internet's most talented writers and looks to spread his own knowledge and wit to WhatCulture's loyal readers.
