In light of the recent online petition seeking to convince Sesame Street to out Bert and Ernie as a gay couple and have them wed, Sesame Workshop recently released this statement:

“Bert and Ernie are best friends. They were created to teach preschoolers that people can be good friends with those who are very different from themselves. Even though they are identified as male characters and possess many human traits and characteristics (as most Sesame Street Muppets™ do), they remain puppets, and do not have a sexual orientation.”

Aside from not having sexual orientation, has it ever occurred to anyone that perhaps they’re just roommates? Hey, the economy is tough on everyone, even those who live on Sesame Street. Why does everything have to be gay, stop trying to label people. Yes, the online petition and the Facebook pages were done with good intentions, but it’s completely misguided and is no different than homophobes criticizing the purple Tellytubby claiming it is “gay.”