LGBTQ Pride Month posts from Sesame Street, National Weather Service, Defense Department ignite uproar: 'I DON'T want this s**t!'



LGBTQ Pride Month kicked off on Saturday. To celebrate the entire month dedicated to the members of the LGBTQ community, organizations and brands shared LGBTQ Pride posts on social media. There were several controversial social media posts that struck a nerve, including ones by government agencies and Sesame Street.

Sesame Street

— (@)

The official Sesame Street social media account posted: "Happy #PrideMonth from Sesame Street! Today and every day, we celebrate and uplift the LGBTQIA+ members of our community. Together, let’s build a world where every person and family feels loved and welcomed for who they are."

There were hundreds of responses countering the Sesame Street account promoting LGBTQ to small children.

Novelist Frank J. Fleming: "Perhaps I’m old-fashioned, but I’m not really sure preschoolers need to know and celebrate variant sexual lusts."

Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon: "The target audience for Sesame Street is children between the ages of 2 and 5."

Department of Defense

— (@)

The Department of Defense wrote: "Pride Month is a time to come together to honor the contributions of LGBTQ+ service members. We are committed to ensuring and promoting an atmosphere of dignity and respect for all civilian and military personnel."

U.S. Air Force veteran Buzz Patterson: "I want you mfer’s to be the military again. I want the best generals (we don’t have them) and a joint force that fights with lethality. I DON’T want this s**t! I’ve earned the right to say that. Focus!"

An X user: "Two major wars going on, instability everywhere, and this is your focus."

Another user: "Your account is a disgrace to our country. Delete it."

Another X user: "You guys spend more time honoring the alphabet crew than you do honoring veterans. What a shame."

National Weather Service

— (@)

The National Weather Service stated: "Let us Reflect, Empower and Unite together this Pride Month as we celebrate the diversity of the NWS family! Their skills and perspectives allow us to meet our mission of protecting a diverse nation."

After getting slammed in the replies, the National Weather Service began hiding dozens of replies.

The weather agency said, "As a reminder, the NWS has established posting policies and reserves the right to hide postings that are inconsistent with them. It is our policy to hide any post/reply that violates the items below."

Veterans Affairs

— (@)

The official Veterans Affairs X social media account said: "This Pride Month — and every day — VA openly and proudly recognizes the more than one million LGBTQ+ Veterans that have served this nation. We thank each and every one of them — and every person who has donned the uniform — for their service and sacrifice."

Numerous commentators noted that June is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Month.

White House

— (@)

President Joe Biden's White House declared: "Happy Pride Month! This month and every month, our Administration celebrates the extraordinary courage of LGBTQI+ people and proudly stands with them in the fight for equality, justice, and inclusion."

Last June, Biden hosted the largest-ever White House LGBTQ Pride celebration in history to celebrate "America’s LGBTQ families."

On Friday, President Biden proclaimed June 2024 to be "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Pride Month."

"I call upon the people of the United States to recognize the achievements of the LGBTQI+ community, to celebrate the great diversity of the American people, and to wave their flags of pride high," Biden declared.

Biden continued, "To the entire LGBTQI+ community — and especially transgender children — please know that your President and my entire Administration have your back. We see you for who you are: made in the image of God and deserving of dignity, respect, and support."

However, Biden had a much different opinion in 2008.

Biden was asked if he supported gay marriage during the 2008 vice presidential debate and he replied, "No. Barack Obama nor I support redefining from a civil side what constitutes marriage. We do not support that."

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White House, Dems respond to Cookie Monster tweet complaining of shrinkflation



A post on the X account for the widely-beloved "Sesame Street" character Cookie Monster drew responses from the White House and several Democratic lawmakers. The post lamented shrinkflation, the term used to refer to businesses shrinking the size of their products without decreasing the price.

"Me hate shrinkflation! Me cookies are getting smaller," the Cookie Monster post declared. "Guess me going to have to eat double da cookies!" another post added.

— (@)

President Joe Biden has previously called for companies to stop engaging in shrinkflation, describing the practice as a "rip off."

The White House X account responded to the Cookie Monster post by tweeting, "C is for consumers getting ripped off. President Biden is calling on companies to put a stop to shrinkflation."

— (@)

"Total corporate jagoff move to rip off Cookie Monster," Democratic Rep. Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania tweeted.

"We hate it too, Cookie Monster. And it's not just cookies! Greedy corporations are making lots of things smaller without cutting prices. We're working to stop them — no one should be getting richer off smaller cookies!" Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland declared.

"Me too, Cookie Monster. Big corporations shrink the size of their products without shrinking their prices, all to pay for CEO bonuses. People in my state of Ohio are fed up — they should get all the cookie they pay for," Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio declared.

Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts responded, "@SenBobCasey and I have a bill for that."

This is not the only time the Biden administration has responded to a "Sesame Street" character on X this year. In late January, Biden's @POTUS X account retweeted a post from the Elmo account.

— (@)

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'Our friend Elmo is right': Biden's @POTUS account retweets 'Sesame Street' character



President Joe Biden's @POTUS X account responded to a post from the account for the "Sesame Street" character Elmo.

The Tuesday tweet from the president's account came after a prior post on the Elmo account went viral. On Monday, the red monster's social media account posed a seemingly innocuous question, "Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?"

But that question triggered a torrent of replies, with the post amassing more than 167 million views so far, appearing to become something of a phenomenon.

"The world is burning, Elmo. No amount of tickles can fix this," the Not the Bee account quipped in response to Elmo's question.

"America is struggling, Elmo. We need Trump back!" Brigitte Gabriel tweeted.

"Elmo, my man, you been to the grocery store lately? I don't know if you drive, but you filled up a gas tank? Stop gas lighting us. You know it's real out here," someone else wrote.

— (@)

Then, on Tuesday, the Elmo account tweeted, "Wow! Elmo is glad he asked! Elmo learned that it is important to ask a friend how they are doing. Elmo will check in again soon, friends! Elmo loves you." The post also included the hashtag "#EmotionalWellBeing."

Biden's @POTUS account responded to that post, writing, "I know how hard it is some days to sweep the clouds away and get to sunnier days. Our friend Elmo is right: We have to be there for each other, offer our help to a neighbor in need, and above all else, ask for help when we need it. Even though it's hard, you're never alone."

— (@)

Unsurprisingly, the post swiftly earned backlash.

"To the staffer or intern who wrote this... Do you need help?" Rudy Giuliani tweeted.

"Shut up and close the border," Ben Deeter declared.

"U.S. service members are being killed overseas. There’s an invasion at our border. Americans are struggling to make ends meet. And our president is tweeting at Elmo….you really can’t make this up," Courtney Holland wrote.

— (@)

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'Happy pride!' Elmo and Sesame Street celebrate the LGBT agenda



Sesame Street, a long-running children's show that has been enjoyed by kids for generations, is actively promoting the LGBT movement by celebrating so-called Pride Month on social media.

"On our Street, we celebrate inclusion, belonging, and freedom of authentic self-expression. Happy #PrideMonth to all the people in our neighborhoods!" the Sesame Street Twitter account tweeted while sharing a cartoon graphic featuring a Pride flag.

\u201cOn our Street, we celebrate inclusion, belonging, and freedom of authentic self-expression. Happy #PrideMonth to all the people in our neighborhoods! \u2764\ufe0f\ud83e\udde1\ud83d\udc9b\ud83d\udc9a\ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udc9c\ud83d\udc97\ud83e\udd0d\ud83e\udd0e\ud83d\udda4\u201d
— Sesame Street (@Sesame Street) 1686578402

The post earned pushback on social media.

"Groomer Street," Libs of TikTok replied.

"Amazing that @sesamestreet thinks the sexual preferences of adults is appropriate content for 3 year olds," Mary Talley Bowden tweeted.

Sesame Street had already been promoting the LGBT agenda earlier this month.

"Today and everyday, we celebrate and uplift the LGBTQIA+ members of our community. From our family to yours, happy #PrideMonth!" another tweet declared.

\u201cToday and everyday, we celebrate and uplift the LGBTQIA+ members of our community. From our family to yours, happy #PrideMonth! \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\u201d
— Sesame Street (@Sesame Street) 1686173547

"This #PrideMonth, let's celebrate diversity and unity and spread love and acceptance. Together, we can make the world a kinder place for all," another tweet said.

The widely beloved character Elmo proclaimed "happy pride!" in a video after Ariana DeBose spoke about celebrating "LGBTQIA+ family, friends, and communities." The tweet featuring the video states, "Everyone is always welcome on Sesame Street. Let’s celebrate LGBTQIA+ people in our communities this Pride and every day! Happy #PrideMonth!"

\u201cEveryone is always welcome on Sesame Street. Let\u2019s celebrate LGBTQIA+ people in our communities this Pride and every day! Happy #PrideMonth! #ArianaDeBose \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\u201d
— Sesame Street (@Sesame Street) 1685632249

Seseame Street has been promoting the LGBT agenda for some time.

For instance, a tweet in 2020 declared, "On our street, we accept all, we love all, and we respect all. Happy #PrideMonth!"

\u201cOn our street, we accept all, we love all, and we respect all. Happy #PrideMonth!\u201d
— Sesame Street (@Sesame Street) 1591906627

Sesame Street has also featured the concept of a family with two gay dads.

Sesame Street features gay dads www.youtube.com

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Sesame Place employees face re-education program after accusations of racism



Sesame Place is now enrolling all of its employees in anti-bias programs in light of both a recent lawsuit filed against the park alleging racial discrimination and a similar accusation levied by one mother who claims a costumed performed snubbed her child.

Sesame Place is a SeaWorld Entertainment theme park based on the children's show "Sesame Street," with locations in Philadelphia and San Diego. On August 9, the Philadelphia park announced "a series of initiatives as part of an expansion of its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion." Among the initiatives is a "racial equity assessment" and "the development and implementation of an anti-bias training and education program."

By the end of September, the park will require all employees to participate in an education program that will allegedly "address bias, promote inclusion, prevent discriminations" and more.

The programs will be overseen by a handful of so-called experts including Debo P. Adegbile, the chair of Anti-Discrimination Practice at WilmerHale LLP (nominated to run the U.S. Department of Justice's Division of Civil Rights by former President Barack Obama, but not confirmed), and the former head of the Louisville Urban League, Sadiqa Reynolds (who called everyone who voted for former President Donald Trump "racist").

Fox 29 indicated that these initiatives are largely in response to a $25 million lawsuit brought against the park's parent company SeaWorld by a Maryland family on July 24.

The lawsuit claims that Quinton Burns' daughter Kennedi was discriminated against during a Father's Day meet and greet. Malcom Ruff, an attorney for the family, invited other individuals with similar grievances to come forward.

This lawsuit comes weeks after a woman named Jodi Brown alleged on Instagram that a costumed park employee withheld a sign of affection from her daughter and her niece on the basis of the girls' race.

Brown posted a video on Instagram on July 16 in which a Sesame Place employee dressed up as the Sesame Street character "Rosita" appears to snub two little girls. Brown wrote "This had me hot ... THIS DISGUSTING person blatantly told our kids NO then proceeded to hug the little white girl next to us!"

The park responded with a release noting that the "performer portraying the Rosita character has confirmed that the 'no' hand gesture seen several times in the video was not directed to any specific person, rather it was a response to multiple requests from someone in the crowd who asked Rosita to hold their child for a photo which is not permitted."

The Rosita performer was, according to Sesame Place, "devastated about the misunderstanding."

Brown's attorney B'Ivory LaMarr said the family wants the performer fired.

In addition to offering the family three apologies for the employee's adherence to its rules, the park is said to have invited Brown and her family to a special meet and greet.

Lapsing into Ridiculousness | 7/21/22

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Elmo advertises COVID-19 vaccination for kids under 5 in new PSA



"Sesame Street" is promoting COVID-19 vaccines to children under 5 after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted emergency authorization to use the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech shots in young children earlier this month.

Elmo — the children show's beloved three-year-old red Muppet character — received the COVID-19 vaccine in a new public service announcement released Tuesday by Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind "Sesame Street." In a short video, Elmo's Muppet dad Louie says he talked to their family pediatrician about having his son vaccinated.

"I had a lot of questions about Elmo getting the COVID vaccine. Was it safe? Was it the right decision?" Louie said in the PSA. "I learned that Elmo getting vaccinated is the best way to keep himself, our friends, neighbors and everyone else healthy and enjoying the things they love."

\u201cIt's okay to have questions about COVID-19 vaccines for children! Elmo's dad Louie talked to their pediatrician, and learned that Elmo getting vaccinated is the best way to keep him and his whole neighborhood safe and healthy! #CaringForEachOther\u201d
— Sesame Street (@Sesame Street) 1656423000

The PSA directs parents of young children to go to GetVaccineAnswers.org if they have questions related to vaccinating their kids. It was produced in partnership with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

"Nearly 5.7 million child cases of COVID-19 have been reported nationally in 2022 alone, making vaccination an important step to protecting both kids and their families against the highly contagious virus and its variants," Sesame Workshop said in a press release.

The FDA approved the vaccines for use in children under 5 years old earlier in June after an expert panel recommended the agency do so.

Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine may be administered as a primary series of two doses, one month apart, to infants as young as six months old through 17 years of age. A third primary dose is authorized to be administered one month after the second dose for immunocompromised children.

The Pfizer vaccine is given in three primary doses, with the first two doses administered three weeks apart and a third dose given eight weeks after the second dose for individuals six months through four years of age.

As of June 22, nearly 30% of children ages 5 to 11 and almost 60% of children ages 12 to 17 have been fully vaccinated, according to CDC data.

“As with all vaccines for any population, when authorizing COVID-19 vaccines intended for pediatric age groups, the FDA ensures that our evaluation and analysis of the data is rigorous and thorough,” FDA official Dr. Peter Marks said on June 17.

“In addition to making certain the data for these vaccines met FDA’s rigorous standards, the agency’s convening of an advisory committee was part of a transparent process to help the public have a clear understanding of the safety and effectiveness data supporting the authorization of these two vaccines for pediatric populations,” he added.

Sesame Workshop's PSA is the continuation of a campaign the company launched last year to encourage adults and children to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who had previously called the nonprofit's vaccine PSAs "government propaganda," criticized "Sesame Street" for the new PSA with Elmo and asserted there is "ZERO scientific evidence" to support COVID-19 vaccination in young children.

\u201cThanks, @sesamestreet for saying parents are allowed to have questions!\n\nYou then have @elmo aggressively advocate for vaccinating children UNDER 5. \n\nBut you cite ZERO scientific evidence for this. Learn more:\n\nhttps://t.co/Ss20TmFTSB\u201d
— Ted Cruz (@Ted Cruz) 1656434353

Cruz and a handful of other Republican lawmakers sent a letter to the FDA on June 8 requesting information to assess the risk COVID-19 poses to children under 5 and the necessity of vaccination for that age group.

Dr. Jeanette Betancourt, senior vice president of U.S. social impact at Sesame Workshop, said that parents will "understandably have questions about the COVID-19 vaccines for young children.

“With help from Elmo and his dad Louie, we want to model real conversations, encourage parents’ questions, and help children know what to expect,” Betancourt said. “We’re proud to continue our efforts with the Ad Council, COVID Collaborative, CDC, and AAP to help families get connected to information and keep their children, neighbors, and communities safe and healthy."

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Ted Cruz tells Lincoln Project 'pedophiles' to 'stop talking about my children' after group co-founder uses senator's kids as part of media attack



Republican Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) lashed out at the Lincoln Project on Monday after one of the anti-Trump political action committee's co-founders mentioned the senator's children during a media attack.

Cruz had apparently drawn the ire of the liberal super PAC, made up of former Republicans, after criticizing "Sesame Street's" COVID-19 vaccine campaign for young children as "government propaganda."

During an interview on MSNBC Monday night, Lincoln Project co-founder Steve Schmidt offered his seething opinion on the controversy, labeling Cruz's perspective on the campaign an example of "abject stupidity." In the attack, Schmidt felt it necessary to bring up the senator's children.

"If Ted Cruz had kids that age, the chances that they would be unvaccinated are exactly zero. Zero. So, this is another moment of just abject stupidity of a United States senator," he blasted.

The attack didn't sit well with Cruz, who, shortly after the Lincoln Project posted Schmidt's remarks on Twitter, responded with an attack of his own.

"The pedophiles at [Lincoln Project] need to stop talking about my children," Cruz wrote.

The pedophiles at @ProjectLincoln need to stop talking about my children.https://twitter.com/projectlincoln/status/1457885007251398658\u00a0\u2026

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) 1636425851

The rebuttal was a gut punch to the much-maligned organization that in recent months has grappled with several serious controversies.

The most notable controversy was the revelation that another one of the group's co-founders, John Weaver, had frequently sent "inappropriate" sexually charged messages to multiple young men over the course of his career in politics.

Weaver's admission that he engaged in the behavior came following public accusations from at least 21 young men who acknowledged that Weaver demonstrated grooming behavior by sending the messages alongside promises to advance their career.

It was later reported that PAC leadership was likely aware of the allegations against Weaver nearly a year before the scandal went public, despite issuing a statement saying the PAC was "shocked" when allegations began surfacing.

Following months of scandals that nearly sank the organization, Schmidt re-emerged into the public eye earlier this year to say that the Lincoln Project would continue its fight against "Trumpism."

"We're going to be back fully operational in our attacks on the extremist, anti-democratic movement," he declared. "We're going to be on offense and we're going to take the fight to people who deserve to have the fight taken to them."

Not so long after, the group was caught up in yet another controversy after being forced to admit that they were the perpetrators behind a bizarre campaign stunt involving a race hoax against Republican Glenn Youngkin during the Virginia gubernatorial race.

Big Bird promotes COVID-19 vaccine for children on CNN, Ted Cruz says 'Sesame Street' engaging in 'propaganda' targeting kids



"Sesame Street" has entered the culture wars. There was swift kickback after "Sesame Street" launched a campaign to push for children as young as five to get the COVID-19 vaccine, which included a CNN town hall with the puppets. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) labeled the initiative to promote the pediatric COVID-19 vaccine as "government propaganda."

"Sesame Street" characters launched a coordinated campaign to promote the COVID-19 vaccine to kids last week. The initiative began days after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 through 11.

"Sesame Street" characters appeared on a CNN town hall on Saturday morning titled "The ABCs of COVID Vaccines." The town hall was hosted by CNN chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta and CNN anchor Erica Hill, who answered questions about the pediatric COVID-19 vaccine from the hand puppets.

Don't miss our next family town hall, "The ABCs of COVID Vaccines", airing tomorrow at 8:30am ET on @CNN. Join all your friends from the neighborhood as we hear expert answers to questions from real families!pic.twitter.com/RiIrWEwQYq

— Sesame Street (@sesamestreet) 1636135775

NEW - Sesame Street with American TV network CNN telling kids to get the #COVID19 vaccines.pic.twitter.com/wtePXAxrgy

— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) 1636202738

CNN teamed up this morning with Sesame Street for a COVID vaccine \u201ctown hall\u201d to convince 5-to-11-year-olds and their parents to get the young children vaccinated.\n\nBig Bird, portrayed as a 6-year-old, is urged to get vaccinated, and he does at the end of the special. A taste:pic.twitter.com/hlSY04w6om

— Steve Krakauer (@SteveKrak) 1636222432

Beloved characters such as Big Bird, Elmo, Grover, and Oscar the Grouch advocated for children to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The official accounts posted messages on Twitter. Coincidentally, the social media platform requires people using the service to be 13 years of age or older.

I got the COVID-19 vaccine today! My wing is feeling a little sore, but it'll give my body an extra protective boost that keeps me and others healthy.\n\nMs. @EricaRHill even said I\u2019ve been getting vaccines since I was a little bird. I had no idea!

— Big Bird (@BigBird) 1636204140

Super Grover may have many special superpowers, but he also knows when to ask a friend for help! Thank you @KizzyPhD for teaching us aaaaall about COVID-19 vaccines at the town hall today!

— Grover (@Grover) 1636206540


Well this stinks. Apparently, the COVID-19 vaccines won\u2019t make you feel grouchy at all! That's what @KizzyPhD said at today's town hall, anyway. You might get a sore arm and feel tired, so at least there\u2019s that.

— Oscar the Grouch (@OscarTheGrouch) 1636207560

"My wing is feeling a little sore, but it'll give my body an extra protective boost that keeps me and others healthy. Ms. @EricaRHill even said I've been getting vaccines since I was a little bird. I had no idea!" the official Twitter account for Big Bird wrote.

Cruz reacted by writing, "Government propaganda...for your 5 year old!"

Government propaganda\u2026for your 5 year old!https://twitter.com/bigbird/status/1456971880666046465\u00a0\u2026

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) 1636236713

Other conservative commenters were concerned that the children's TV show was promoting the newly-approved COVID-19 vaccine for kids.

Newsmax host Steve Cortes: "This kind of propaganda is actually evil. Your children are not statistically at risk, and should not be pressured into a brand new treatment. Do Not Comply!"

Author Brigitte Gabriel: "Sesame Street is now indoctrinating toddlers. What a disgrace."

Political commentator Lauren Chen: "Who is the target of the Sesame Street vaccine outreach? Parents who trust Elmo & Big Bird with their children's medical decisions? Toddlers who are on Twitter and tune in to CNN? It makes no sense."

Podcast host Liz Wheeler: "I love how the same people who don't want us to listen to Joe Rogan & Aaron Rodgers about the covid vaccine, want us to listen to Big Bird & Elmo."

Radio host Larry O'Connor: "'Mommy, Daddy... Big Bird says I should get the shot to keep the Muppets safe! Why won't you let me get it?'"

Fox News contributor Lisa Boothe: "Brainwashing children who are not at risk from COVID. Twisted."

Previously, Joe Rogan questioned Gupta about the statistical risks of children being infected with COVID-19, which the neurosurgeon didn't offer many answers.

.@joerogan challenges TV doctor @drsanjaygupta on forcing children to get vaccinated.\n\nIt's as if it's the first time he's left his pro-mandate bubble & he's forced to consider a coherent argument against vaccine mandates. Watch...pic.twitter.com/4sv1VAS532

— Young Americans for Liberty (@YALiberty) 1634160600

In U.S. children ages 5-11, there have been 94 COVID-19 deaths (1.7% of all deaths among U.S. children ages 5–11) between Jan. 1, 2020, and Oct. 18, 2021, according to the CDC.

Last week, Pfizer released a commercial that characterized young children who participated in the COVID-19 vaccine trial as "superheroes." The controversial commercial from the multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation was also described as "propaganda" aimed at children.