Pastors and conservative Christian organizations are openly condemning the children’s television programme Sesame Street after it made a social media post celebrating Pride Month and encouraging others to do likewise.
The show’s official social media account posted an image of rainbow-colored fur patterns designed to resemble several well-known Sesame Street characters, including Elmo, Cookie Monster, and a greeting that stated: “Happy Pride Month from Sesame Street! Join us in celebrating and uplifting the members of our community.”
The long-standing tv show, which mainly serves children (as young as 3 years old) and was acquired by Netflix last year, quickly gathered criticism from christian organisations including Turning Point USA (TPUSA). The organization voiced concern about the promotion of Pride Month on a platform targeting children.
“This is literally a show meant for children,” TPUSA wrote on X.
Josh Howerton, pastor of Lakepointe Church in Rockwall, Texas, also expressed concern over the post, contending that children should not be exposed to conversations concerning sexual identity or attraction.
“Guys, there is no universe in which it makes sense to send a message to children about sexual desires, regardless of worldview,” Howerton wrote. “Stop and think about what you’re doing.”
This is not the first controversy for Sesame Street. There was a similar situation in 2025, when the organization posted a Pride-themed image featuring puppet arms joined together in the shape of a rainbow. In addition, the programme has included LGBT-related themes into its content. In 2023, Academy Award winning actress Ariana DeBose, who identifies as LGBT, appeared on the show as part of Pride Month observances. Two years prior, in 2021, the show introduced its first same-sex couple to its viewers. The interaction happened during an episode in which Elmo encounters two men, including one identified as a “husband,” and their adopted daughter.
Alan Muraoka, one of the regular characters on the programme, made a post on social media about the “Family Day” episode he co-directed, stating that “Sesame Street has always been a welcoming place of diversity and inclusion.”
“So I’m so excited to introduce Nina’s Brother Dave, his husband Frank, and their daughter Mia to our sunny street,” Muraoka continued, “I am so honored and humbled to have co-directed this important and milestone episode. Love is love, and we are so happy to add this special family to our Sesame family. Happy Pride to all!”
Sesame Street’s push for pro-LGBT programming comes amid surveys that indicate public support for same-sex marriage and other related topics has decreased in the last few years.
Gallup’s annual Values and Beliefs survey, revealed that support among U.S. adults for legal same-sex marriage is down six points from a 2022-2023 high. Meanwhile, 62% view same-sex relationships as moral. This figure is the lowest since 2016.