You are correct that SpongeBob does not advance their agenda, so why even use him in the film? Why could they not just come up with their own cartoon character. Have you tried to explain sexual orientation to a 1st grader?
But...the film has nothing to do with sexual orientation. It doesn't. It just doesn't. I've read like five articles on it, and they all say the same thing. The only connection between the film and gay people is that the organization that's distributing the film has a mission statement to promote diversity and tolerance based on categories like "race, creed, sexual orientation" and so forth. You can disagree with the statement, fine. And you can certainly disagree if the film tried to incorporate anything about sexual orientation. But from all the reports I've read, there is nothing in the film about it.
So I guess what I'm trying to understand is --- and everyone, feel free to enlighten me --- what's the big deal? Why is everyone so upset on this thread about the film and/or SpongeBob?