SpongeBob SquarePants Fans Show Appreciation for Nickelodeon Pride Post

SpongeBob SquarePants fans are pleased with Nickelodeon's Pride Month social media post. Nick tweeted a message on Saturday in support of LGBTQ+ community. It attached images of three characters from its intellectual property library. SpongeBob was one of them, along with Schwoz Schwartz from Henry Danger, and Korra from The Avatar: Legend of Korra. Korra's same-sex relationship with Asami is canon as of the show's series finale, and that relationship continues to be explored in the comics that have followed. SpongeBob fans have often argued that the character is coded gay. Some fo those fans are taking this social media post as confirmation that SpongeBob is indeed gay. Fans are celebrating the idea on Twitter and putting certain scenes in a new light.

Henry Danger actor Michael D. Cohen plays Scwartz on the Nickelodeon show. He also gave an interview to Time last year where he revealed that he had transitioned 20 years ago. Everything going on in the world at the time motivated the decision to share his story.

"I was misgendered at birth. I identify as male, and I am proud that I have had a transgender experience — a transgender journey… In my experience, I was born male," Cohen explained. "What my body said about it was irrelevant. No matter how hard I tried, it was not up for negotiation. Believe me, it would have been so convenient if I was actually a woman."

Celebrating #Pride with the LGBTQ+ community and their allies this month and every month 🌈 ⁣
(🎨: by @ramzymasri) pic.twitter.com/pENmTaQB0h

— Nickelodeon (@Nickelodeon) June 13, 2020

"This crazy backlash and oppression of rights is happening right in front of me," he added. "I can't stay silent. The level of — let's be polite — misunderstanding around trans issues is so profound and so destructive. When you disempower one population, you disempower everybody… These are my people. I belong to this group."

"People don't understand. They think this has to do with sexuality and it doesn't. They think this has to do with pushing an agenda on kids and it doesn't," he reflected. "What it does is send a message to kids that whoever they are, however they identify, that's celebrated and valued and okay.

Today, fans of SpongeBob are feeling valued and genuinely happy because of this post. It remains to be seen what Nickelodeon will say when someone inevitably asks about it. There will be detractors, but that isn't going to stop the Internet from having a little bit of fun along the way.

Do you love SpongeBob SquarePants? Are you excited for the next movie? Let us know in the comments! Check out the reactions below: