Tony Perkins On Bert & Ernie

"Not only do gays want to force their lifestyle on you and me, but they want to enlist felt-faced non-humans in the fight! And this is on top of the demands for a transgender character to join Sesame Street. For years, the same-sex community has insisted that all they want is the "right" to marry their partners. If that's true, then why do they need to indoctrinate kids? Why recruit children and corporate America and public education? Obviously, the goal here isn't to be left alone to do what they want. The goal is to force the whole world--including small children--to celebrate their sexual behavior. Families are already working overtime to protect their children's innocence. The last thing they need to worry about is the ABCs of indoctrination." - Tony Perkins, whose Christianist hate group daily indoctrinates children into their murderous cult.

Sesame Street: Bert & Ernie Are Not Gay

Sesame Street officials have responded to this week's petition to allow Bert and Ernie to marry on the show.

"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, they remain puppets, and do not have a sexual orientation," Sesame Workshop said in a statement posted on Facebook.

Yesterday's statement echoes those issued in previous years.

Petition: Let Bert & Ernie Get Married

A petition drive launched on Change.org asks the producers of Sesame Street to allow long-rumored boyfriends Bert and Ernie to marry.

Chicago resident Lair Scott started an online petition at Change.org to pressure the Sesame Street Workshop to "Let Bert & Ernie get married on Sesame Street." The petition reads, "We are not asking Sesame Street to do anything crude or disrespectful…. It can be done in a tasteful way. Let us teach tolerance of those that are different." As of this writing, the petition had collected more than 1,600 signatures. But are Bert and Ernie even gay, never mind ready for the ultimate commitment? Scott clearly thinks so. In an interview with ABC News.com, Scott said, "A lot of people have wondered about Bert and Ernie.... Living in the same bedroom and the same home would make anyone question their sexuality." His aim, he added, is to get 20,000 petitioners to encourage the Sesame Workshop to either marry Bert and Ernie or introduce a gay or lesbian character.

Sesame Street has denied that Bert and Ernie are gay ever since the rumors started over 20 years ago. The usual response: "They are puppets. They don't exist below the waist."