*As the debate about the sexuality of two infamous puppets rages on across social media, the Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind “Sesame Street,” wants y’all to know that Bert and Ernie are “best friends” and have no sexual orientation, New York Times reported.
Meanwhile, “The Real” co-hosts Jeannie Mai and Tamera Mowry argued over the recent revelation that the popular characters are homosexual. Tamera recalled her own childhood experiences, noting that the series was “one of my favorite shows.”
“I know that when I was watching Sesame Street as a kid, it was one of my favorite shows. I wasn’t really thinking about the genitalia and what they were doing sexually as a kid. They’re puppets,” she said. “But as a parent, I’m like, what are you teaching my child? Are you teaching my children how to love one another? Are you teaching my children how to be friendly and create amazing friendships? That’s what really matters. I don’t care if they’re brown, yellow, orange…whatever. What is the message?”
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Glad to see #TameraMowry and #JeannieMai are cool! #TheReal got real this week
The conversation heats up after Jeannie interjects with: “I hear what you’re saying, but I disagree because they do care. And your kids are learning,” she said before Mowry replied. “At five years old and at three years old, my daughter isn’t thinking …”
“Let me finish,” Mai says. “Let me finish really quick. All I’m saying is, I was that girl. I learned how to speak English …”
Frustrated, Tamera says, “I’m speaking for my kids and my experience, so you can speak from yours.”
Mai says she disagrees with Sesame Street releasing a statement rejecting the idea of Bert and Ernie being a couple.
Bert and Ernie. Best friends. Roommates. Lovers? Mark Saltzman, a former “Sesame Street” writer, said that his comments were misinterpreted. “They are two guys who love each other.” https://t.co/iAOlO1ocHA
— The New York Times (@nytimes) September 19, 2018
“I’m just saying, Tam. For me, I had to learn from them, too. I learned watching Sesame Street how to speak English, and Bert and Ernie were my best friends,” she says. “I believed in them, and I learned from them, how to have a healthy and happy relationship. I learned how that relationship works. So when Sesame Street says they’re not gay, it says to me that being gay is not OK. That’s the problem. That’s the problem with this situation.”
Continuing, “There are kids out there that have two moms and have two dads, and they need to see that love takes shape in all forms. When Bert and Ernie are together, they have the potential to break down barriers.”
Social media was conflicted about the argument and Tamera posted a picture of the two with the caption; “We’re cool.”
