Right from the horses mouth:
Welcome to Gayapolis
James Dobson, founder of the conservative organization
Focus on the Family, has found a new target in his battle
over gay rights, cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants.
At a political dinner on Tuesday, Dobson spoke to the
crowd of politicians and supporters and asked "Does
anybody here know SpongeBob?"
The character, featured in a children's cartoon on the
Nickelod
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almost cult like status among children, and is also
extremely popular in the gay and lesbian community.
Dobson claims that the character appears in a "pro-
homosexual" video along with other cartoon characters. The
video in question was created by Nile Rodgers, writer of
the disco song "We Are Family," to promote tolerance
following the attacks of Septebmer 11th. The video
features cartoon characters singing and dancing to teach
children about multiculturalism.
The video promotes a "tolerance pledge", which was created
by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The pledge includes
sexual identity as part of tolerance. The video itself and
accompanying materials make no mention of sexual identity
or sexual orientation.
A spokesperson for Dobson defended his claims in comments
made to The New York Times, saying "We see the video as an
insidious means by which the organization is manipulating
and potentially brainwashing kids."