Debates about the civil rights and liberties of the LGBT lifestyle have been present in politics and the lives of these people for a very long time now. Recently, a petition for the marriage of Sesame Street’s Bert and Ernie has flooded the internet with the petition itself, news, and a Facebook Page.
The petition, started by Lair Scott, calls for the union of Bert and Ernie as a gay couple to teach young kids and teens within the LGBT population that they are not doing anything wrong, and that, in fact, their choice of orientation should be embraced rather than shunned. Lair states in the petition’s mission statement that the union of the Sesame Street friends would “indeed plant a seed of peace that will reverberate throughout the universe.”
In response to the petition, the creators of Sesame Street, through a Facebook page, have released the following 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.”
This statement has raised some questions, such as the fact that Elmo’s mother has appeared on the show a number of times, and without sexual orientation, how could this be possible? There is also the fact Ernie has shown a sort of flirtatious quality toward some of the female Muppets on the show.
In truth, the biggest question raised by people who question this petition seems to stem from the petition being created by adults, signed by adults, and argued for or against by adults, and not the young population that watches the show for the educational content it provides. Would the marriage of Bert and Ernie make a statement to young kids that the pair intends to engage in sexual activities, or is it simply a statement that they will not stand to ‘just be friends’ anymore. The claim of the petition is that the marriage of the pair of bachelors would increase awareness and understanding to children of the GLBT lifestyle and that they will take those lessons and become understanding adults.
Possibly millions of children watch Sesame Street, possibly one of the most popular educational shows in history. My question is, will a four or five year old child really understand what the marriage of the bachelors really means or will it just be another educational episode? How about what happens after the pair ties the knot. Will they continue to be written as best friends sharing a pad or as a couple, with couple’s problems and issues.
Truly, I don’t believe that this issue has anything to do with teaching our children to be tolerant of others. I believe it has to do with adults who don’t believe tolerance can be learned without some of the most famous ‘people’ on television teaching it. I also don’t believe that a five year old will really grasp the situation should it be presented on the show, nor do I believe that Bert and Ernie should be rewritten after a union to display said union in every episode. I believe that they already share a nurturing, understanding, and tolerant relationship with each other, one that shows, as Sesame Street states, that two very different people can become the best of friends, no matter how different or alike they may be, sexual orientation aside.