I’d say Sesame Street qualifies as an American treasure.  And I’d place Ernie and Bert near the top of the list of indelible inhabitants.  Every once in a while, people wonder whether the “roommates” are gay or straight.  Former SS writer Mark Saltzman added fuel to the fire.  “I always felt that without a huge agenda, when I was writing Bert and Ernie, they were gay.  I didn’t have any other way to contextualize them.”  It should be noted that the characters were actually created in the original Sesame Street pilot in 1969; Saltzman didn’t start writing for the show until 1984.  The Sesame Workshop issued a statement of their own.  “Sesame Street has always stood for inclusion and acceptance.  It’s a place where people of all cultures and backgrounds are welcome.  Bert and Ernie were created to be best friends, and to teach young children that people can get along with those who are very different from themselves.  They also added “they remain puppets, and do not have a sexual orientation”.  Tell that to Miss Piggy, who constantly lusts after an ambivalent amphibian…Kermit.