“I don’t care if spongebob is asexual, bisexual or gay, I stan him,” one Twitter user wrote. Many, meanwhile, were simply excited to see such a prominent character named as a part of the LGBTQIA+ community - regardless of his perceived sexuality. “SpongeBob has been a gay icon for years! I literally had conversations about this with members of the LGBTQIA+ community nearly 20 years ago!” another wrote. If so i love this for him,” one user wrote. “Did they just confirm spongebob as gay and then turn off the replies. Those speculations only grew when, shortly after sharing the post, Nickelodeon turned off replies to the tweet. Nickelodeon’s message led many fans to speculate that, by including SpongeBob, the channel was identifying the character as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community - or at the very least, an ally of the community. (🎨: by /pENmTaQB0h- Nickelodeon June 13, 2020 Celebrating #Pride with the LGBTQ+ community and their allies this month and every month 🌈
