Oh, please.
SpongeBob – who appears on the children’s cable channel Nickelodeon – is seen as an icon for adult gay men in the US, apparently because he regularly holds hands with his sidekick Patrick.
His creators deny that he is gay, but he is not the first such character to cause controversy.
In 1999 conservatives claimed handbag-carrying Teletubby Tinky Winky, an import from the UK, was a bad role-model.
Oh yes, let’s always label any type of affectionate physical expression between males as taboo so that we can continue to deprive them of a necessary and healthy form of human interaction by pathologizing it. And oh yes, if it’s not a briefcase or backpack, then it must be a purse and therefore a sign of transvestitism (a pastime not limited to gay men). Maybe we can allow a man to carry a diaper bag, but only with a special permit.
BBC news states “…conservatives say it sees the video as a cunning attempt to promote homosexuality.” Don’t those people have something more worthwhile and helpful to do? Such as fighting poverty? Promoting education for all? Wouldn’t that be a better way to “focus on the family?”