tinky-winky and he-man sitting in a tree...

It's hard to believe it has been almost ten years since the whole tinky-winky, the gay teletubbie controversy began. The male-voiced, bag-toting teletubbie caused a furor among the religous right insisting that he was gay and was unduly influencing children. The Rev. Jerry Falwell actually wrote in supporting this position "He is purple the gay-pride color; and his antenna is shaped like a triangle -- the gay-pride symbol."

This got me thinking, were there hidden gay characters in the television of my youth? Certainly there was plenty of fodder for people to speculate.

Mr. Rogers, Mr. Dressup, Captain Kangaroo, all these old men surrounded by young children, particularly "Casey" on Mr. Dressup and the "tickle trunk". One begins to wonder. Children shows today don't seem to be hosted by old men anymore. But before I impugn the reputations of these dear old men who shaped my life and morals (I guess they join Marlo Thomas on the list of those to blame), it is best to turn to those cartoon characters of questionable sexual orientation.

I set out on a search and was quickly bombarded. The nattily-dressed, pink-coloured and heavy-lisped Snagglepuss. Was his "Exit stage left" trademark also an indication of his politics on top of his sexuality?

What about Huckleberry Hound? Once again nattily dressed, friends with Snagglepuss and he even outed himself on an episode of the Simpsons.

It wasn't only the gay boys making the rounds of the cartoon tv circuit. The world of Peanuts is not without its own speculation and some role models for the girls. How about Peppermint Patty? Described as bold, brash and tomboyish and a pro on the baseball field, there's little room for speculation. Add in the fact that Marcie called Patty "Sir" and it looks like there may be some lesbian loving in these girls' future.

But it was on youtube that I found proof of the sexual orientation of one of my favourite cartoon characters of my youth - He-Man. One would think that with a name like He-Man, there would be no question of his orientation. Ahhh, but you must look for the hidden sub-context. Those long golden locks, a magical sword, a body only built by endless hours in the gym and a pet cat (albeit a big one). If that's not enough, the following video should be proof enough. Once it's legal in their lands, I look forward to an invite to tink-winky and he-man's wedding.