Nickelodeon Celebrates Pride Month with ‘Queer Icon’ SpongeBob, Bisexual, and Trans Characters

(UPI) — Nickelodeon posted a message on Twitter this weekend celebrating Pride Month and supporting the LGBTQ+ community.

“Celebrating #Pride with the LGBTQ+ community and their allies this month and every month,” the kids’ television network said Saturday.

The post includes images of the stars of three Nickelodeon series — the animated, titular characters from SpongeBob SquarePants and The Adventures of Korra, and Michael D. Cohen from the live-action Henry Danger.

Korra is bisexual and Cohen is transgender.

Nickelodeon turned off the comments option on the tweet after users began discussing whether it meant the network was confirming SpongeBob is gay.

SpongeBob creator Stephen Hillenburg said before he died from ALS in 2018 that he regarded the character as part of the LGBTQ+ community because he is asexual.

The show has aired on the network since 1999.