The SpongeBob SquarePants Is Gay Controversy Explaed (& Why It's Dumb)

Contents:

• MAC FIGHTS GAY MARRIAGE
• HOW A GAY CHARACTER ON ARTHUR REFLECTS CHANGG NORMS THE U.S.
• “IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY PHILALPHIA’S” ROB MCELHENNEY TALKS ABOUT UPG “GAY MARRIAGE” EPISO
• BOOK EXCERPT: FRIENDS THREW A GAY WEDDG, BUT WAS A GAY-IENDLY SHOW?
• THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS IS GAY CONTROVERSY EXPLAED (& WHY IT'S DUMB)
• ‘THE WEDDG COACH’S’ GAY WEDDG EPISO IS A WILD RI THROUGH GAY PERFORMATIVE EXCELLENCE
• IS SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS GAY? EVERY TIME THE SHOW SUGGTED HE IS

MAC FIGHTS GAY MARRIAGE

Reflectg the larger ntroversy surroundg gay marriage, Carol's parents refe to attend the weddg, g Carol to have send thoughts about her cisn, which almost leads to llg the weddg off.

Gay and lbian groups - notably GLAAD - cried the censorship of the episo. While the episo was one of the first mastream portrayals of gay marriage on US televisn, was the send gay marriage on a s that season; the show Roseanne had aired an episo jt five weeks before which the tle character ordated a weddg for her -worker Leon and his lover Stt. " However, the fact that Carol and San's ceremony was officiated by Candace Ggrich, a gay-rights activist and sister to nservative Congrsman Newt Ggrich did draw some media attentn, as the stg was perceived as a ment on the Republin Party's anti-gay rights stance and the "Contract wh Ameri" platform.

HOW A GAY CHARACTER ON ARTHUR REFLECTS CHANGG NORMS THE U.S.

A wrer wh the Associated Prs noted an article that week that the ceremony would not clu a kiss by the newlyweds, cludg the episo as part of an observed trend of portrayals of gay characters while skirtg ntroversy by avoidg or mimizg physil ntact. Dpe San and Carol gettg married this episo, gay marriage was not legalized New York until 2011. There was no huge hype about them beg gay - and the hype around their weddg was exactly that, around the weddg, not the fact they were two women havg a weddg.

Journalist Lacey Vorrasi-Banis explas her nflictg feelg about the ‘cultural touchstone’ that is Carol and San’s relatnship a way I feel hs the nail on the head: “I mt adm that for a teenager New Jersey, Carol and San’s relatnship did imprs upon me that gays uld have fai and the world wouldn’t stop spng. Candace Ggrich, the gay rights activist and sister to nservative ngrsman Newt Ggrich, was a stg choice perceived as a ment on the Republin Party’s anti-gay rights stance. It allowed the world to hear that beg gay is okay, and God approv.

As a lennial gay woman about to marry a woman, why was so hard for me to relate to this episo and accept ? Some of the jok that occurred throughout were outdated, and verge on homophobic, om today’s viewpot.

“IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY PHILALPHIA’S” ROB MCELHENNEY TALKS ABOUT UPG “GAY MARRIAGE” EPISO

"Mac Fights Gay Marriage" is the first episo of the sixth season of It's Always Sunny Philalphia'. Charlie shar some almonds he found an alley before Mac barg to the bar outraged that Carmen has married a du, which Mac clar is a gay marriage. Nobody else se how that nstut a gay marriage as one is a girl and the other is a guy.

Mac sists that Nick is homosexual, to which the gang rrectly stat that Mac himself dated her before she got her dick cut off. Nick unters wh an excerpt om Exod 20:21 and an argument ensu, as to whether Mac is gay or if he's jt jealo of Carmen and Nick's marriage. Charlie and Frank go to the gym to speak to Carmen about their partnership, thkg she would be the expert on gay marriage.

After clearg up an argument about who would be the man and woman their relatnship, and not havg the other one's dick cut off, Frank and Charlie ci that two dus gettg married would not be gay after all. This is gay marriage.

BOOK EXCERPT: FRIENDS THREW A GAY WEDDG, BUT WAS A GAY-IENDLY SHOW?

Adam* said was dangero to e out as gay his home untry and feared beg forced to an arranged marriage wh a said he was "so lucky" to wed his soulmate, Ray, Manchter and wish everyone uld marry who they love. There are more than 60 untri wh laws that crimalise same-sex sexual acts acrdg to the Internatnal Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Associatn, cludg Sdi Arabia.

THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS IS GAY CONTROVERSY EXPLAED (& WHY IT'S DUMB)

'Authentilly myself'Ray said he had also stggled growg up gay the 1970s and 80s England, which was "tough" said his relig school "dmmed to you, 'you are gog to hell'" Adam returned home to Sdi Arabia, spe beg more than 3, 000 apart and later rtricted by the Covid-19 panmic, they kept touch daily and the romance years ago, Ray proposed on a vio ll and after succsfully applyg for a UK fiancé visa, Adam moved to Manchter December 2022. Adam said he had been aaid to even wear lours his home untry so the first thg he did when he moved was start to "grow my mullet, got my ears pierced and booked appotments for tattoos" relled how, ntrast, one of his gay iends Sdi had been forced to marry a woman, addg: "It has ed not only his life but the life of his wife. The uple, who live London, said a "really betiful memory" was on the way home when one of their sons shouted out of the black b wdow to Trafalgar Square, "My dads jt got married" and cheered "Yay, gay marriage".

It is important to note that the same-sex soc-sexual behavr observed the study is distct om homosexual behavr bee s motivatn and purpose are social, said Jean-Baptiste Le, who studi primate behavr at the Universy of Lethbridge Canada and was not volved the new rearch. To be classified as te homosexual behavr, the form, motivatn and functn would all have to be sexual nature, he said. How a Gay Character on Arthur Reflects Changg Norms the U.

Still, ’s possible to unt on your fgers the number of kids’ shows that have picted gay characters.

‘THE WEDDG COACH’S’ GAY WEDDG EPISO IS A WILD RI THROUGH GAY PERFORMATIVE EXCELLENCE

This isn’t the first time that the Arthur universe has broached the subject of gay upl, fact.

After all, this is a world where an aardvark looks like that and has a rabb for a bt iend; why would be so remarkable that people are gay? Fourteen years later, ’s still unmon for children’s shows to feature gay characters — enough that often be headle-makg news when someone out, or when a show adds a nonheterosexual relatnship. Durg a ssn at the TV Crics Associatn Summer Prs Tour this week, McElhenney mentned that the first two episos of the new season next month would be about a “gay marriage.

I disvered that the episos are about a lot more than gay marriage! “And my character cis that he is gog to fight their unn urt bee he feels ’s a gay marriage but really, jt like always is wh our characters, Pl don’t really re about the polil ramifitns of and is jt jealo that she chose another guy over him.

IS SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS GAY? EVERY TIME THE SHOW SUGGTED HE IS

“I certaly have a very strong polil posn when to that issue however, I don’t thk ’s our rponsibily to dictate to other people what our posn is and that we jt try to prent both sis of the argument and that there are hyproci that lie on both sis on the argument and then brg a third element which is transgenr as opposed to gay or straight and mak for an tertg nversatn.

Rob’s fay background played a big role shapg his personal views: “I happen to be pro gay marriage. I was raised partly by two gay mothers who have a domtic partnership New Jersey. Candace Ggrich was there, but not intified, and would likely not be regnizable to anyone who wasn’t volved gay activism.

“I really loved the ia of the women beg women, of them lookg betiful and feme, bee of the stereotyp about gay women. ” This is where Friends reveals self to be tly a product of s time—a homophobic era the most leral sense of the word. In the mid-’90s, the gay rights movement was gag more tractn than ever before.