Charting the long, proud history of LGBTQ+ representation on Sesame Street as it moves to Netflix
Bert and Ernie have been gay icons to many for years (Matthew Simmons/Getty)
Bert and Ernie have been gay icons to many for years (Matthew Simmons/Getty)
Netflix has “rescued” beloved children’s show Sesame Street and will make it available on its streaming platform, inheriting its history of LGBTQ+ representation, after US president Donald Trump pulled funding to PBS.
The future of the American educational children’s TV show was left incredibly uncertain after the funding cut, but Netflix have stepped in and the show will give a second chance to ‘roommates’ Bert and Ernie.
After Trump pulled funding for the free-to-air channel Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) – alleging PBS engaged in “biased and partisan news coverage” – the future of Sesame Street was uncertain.
Furthermore, Warner Bros Discovery, which owns the HBO platform, didn’t renew its deal with the programme.
The potential disappearance of Sesame Street was not just a sad moment for TV, but also would have been a huge loss for crucial early childhood entertainment that centres on education.
The show was created alongside a team of developmental psychologists with the goal of producing a programme that combined childhood psychology with entertaining lessons.
Thankfully, Netflix has rescued Sesame Street, and under the deal, PBS will still have access to episodes on the same day they are released on Netflix.
Netflix‘s statement about the acquisition shared the iconic programme is a “beloved cornerstone of children’s media, enchanting young minds and nurturing a love of learning.”
Does Sesame Street cover LGBTQ+ topics?
The simple answer to this is… yes. Originating in 1969, the beloved show has an extensive history of covering LGBTQ+ topics, themes and characters for young audiences.
From the very first episode, the show’s creators have noted that “Sesame Street has always stood for inclusion and acceptance.”
One of the first apparent nods to queer culture in the show was in the 1981 song ‘We All Sing with the Same Voice‘ which includes the lyrics: “I’ve got one daddy, I’ve got two.”
Though this could refer to a child having a father and a step-father, some have noted this ambiguity could also be a progressive, early-80s reference to queer parenting.
Since 2017, the Sesame Workshop and Sesame Street have also shared social media posts celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride Month every year.
Are Sesame Street’s Bert and Ernie gay?
Speculation about Bert and Ernie’s relationship has lasted decades. Some say they’re just besties, while others question their ‘roommate’ label.
Though the show’s producers have repeatedly denied that the pair are in a romantic relationship, many think that their connection is underscored by queer devotion.
For instance, in 2011, an online petition circulated to encourage Sesame Street to allow Bert and Ernie to get married. The petition garnered 10,769 supporters.
This petition was created after same-sex marriage was legalised in New York, and at the time, Bert and Ernie became symbols of gay rights; they were even on the cover of The New Yorker, hooked to the passing of gay marriage.
On the internet, the pair have also become a shorthand for a couple who are together but who have not told anyone, or simply two very close queer friends.
Former writer for the show Mark Saltzman said that when he was writing Bert and Ernie, he felt as though he was writing their interactions as a couple, based on his own relationship with his partner Arnie.
“I always felt that without a huge agenda, when I was writing Bert and Ernie, they were,” Saltzman told Queerty regarding them as a couple.
“I didn’t have any other way to contextualise them. The other thing was, more than one person referred to Arnie and I as ‘Bert and Ernie.’”
Saltzman responded to the uproar surrounding his assertion by downplaying his original remarks. He told The New York Times: “As a writer, you just bring what you know into your work.
“Somehow, in the uproar, that turned into Bert and Ernie being gay. There is a difference… They are two guys who love each other. That’s who they are.”
Additionally, the show’s producers have repeatedly denied that Bert and Ernie are together and that they have no sexual orientation.
In a rather bizarre statement to NBC News, Sesame Workshop shared: “As we have always said, 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.”
Does Sesame Street have queer characters?
Despite the endless, and perhaps forever ongoing, debate about the relationship of Bert and Ernie, the show has seen some canonical queer characters appear.
Since 2017, Sesame Street has shown same-sex couples and parents as part of episodic narratives that recognise LGBTQ+ families and identities.
In a Father’s Day segment with Elmo, Smartie (a talking, animated smartphone) refers to the different types of fathers a person can have. In one image, Smartie shows a child with two dads.
This moment is seen as one of Sesame Street’s earliest clear ajd overt depictions of LGBTQ+ representation.
The show continued to shine a spotlight on queer parents with the ‘F is for Family’ segment in 2017 where all sorts of families are depicted, including a boy with two mothers.
The next year, in 2018, fairy Abby was observing families of all different shapes and sizes when Rudy, her stepbrother, pointed out a picture of a family made up of two dads.
However, although these references are obviously heartfelt and meaningful, Sesame Street did not introduce its first openly queer charters until Pride month in 2021.
In episode 5132, titled Family Day, a same-sex couple was introduced. The show sees bike store owner Nina (Suki Lopez) welcome her family to town: brother Dave (Chris Costa), his husband Frank (Alex Weisman), and the couple’s daughter Mia (Olivia Perez).
The character of Rudy remarks that all the families look “so different” but “there are all different kinds of families, but what makes us a family is that we love each other.”
The episode also saw American musician Kelsea Ballerini perform a song about diverse families, which included a pair of married women.
This episode marked a historic moment for the children’s show to prominently discuss gay and queer parents.
Alan Muraoka, who helped create the milestone episode, shared his joy on Facebook, writing: “Sesame Street has always been a welcoming place of diversity and inclusion. So I’m so excited to introduce Nina’s brother Dave, his husband Frank, and their daughter Mia to our sunny street.
“I am so honoured and humbled to have co-directed this important and milestone episode. Love is love, and we are so happy to add this special family to our Sesame family. Happy Pride to all!”
GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis congratulated Sesame Street on sending “the simple and important message that families come in all forms and that love and acceptance are always the most important ingredients in a family”.
“Frank and Dave, as Mia’s dads, are the latest characters in an undeniable trend of inclusion across kids and family programming, one that allows millions of proud LGBTQ parents, and our children, to finally get to see families like ours reflected on TV,” she tweeted.
Alongside queer Sesame Street characters, several LGBTQ+ stars have appeared on Sesame Street throughout the years, from gay Pose star Billy Porter to lesbian singer-songwriter Reneé Rapp serenading Elmo.
Also, in 2023 queer West Side Story star Ariana DeBose appeared on Sesame Street and recorded a Happy Pride message with the one and only Elmo for TikTok.
“Elmo and I wanted to share that everyone is always welcome in Sesame Street. This month, and every month, we want to uplift and celebrate our LGBTQIA+ family, friends and communities.”
Elmo added: “From our Sesame Street family to yours, Happy Pride! Elmo loves you.”
New episodes of Sesame Street Season 56 are due later this year on Netflix.
