SpongeBob SquarePants is gay! Or is he? And why is there so little information on a matter everyone is discussing?
The scandal surrounding the sexual orientation of the cartoon character SpongeBob looks like a media creation. The snickers directed at the ultra-conservative James Dobson of "Focus on the Family" -- the man credited with questioning how square SpongeBobs pants actually are --seem intended to obscure the issue and vilify the man.
Are SpongeBob's Pants Really Square?
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
By Wendy McElroy
The issue is: should the public school system be used to encourage sexual attitudes in children, especially attitudes to which their parents might object?
Dobson ignited the current furor two weeks ago during a speech in which he blasted a video that was slated to be distributed to 61,000 public and private elementary schools on "We Are Family Day," March 11.
The video uses popular cartoon characters to promote the concept of diversity, which Dobson identifies rightly or wrongly with a "gay agenda." In the video, cartoon characters including Barney the Dinosaur, Winnie the Pooh, and SpongeBob SquarePants sing and dance to the 70s disco hit "We are Family."