'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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Registered sex offender arrested after dressing up as Elmo around children, operating farmers' market

Registered sex offender arrested after dressing up as Elmo around children, operating farmers' market



A convicted sex offender was arrested for failing to update his address while police investigated the zoning regulations for a farmers' market. The man allegedly interacted with children and dressed up as "Sesame Street" character Elmo, according to Fox News.

A detective from the Utah County Sheriff's Office was sent to investigate the Lehi Farmers Market after reports said it had been operating in violation of state code and zoning ordinances.

As they investigated, detectives found that one of the operators of the farmers market was a 74-year-old sex offender registered on the Utah Sex Offender Registry. The man was arrested April 14, 2023, after police learned that he had not registered himself as a sex offender at his new address.

Previously listed as living in Saratoga Springs, Utah, the man had been living at the same location as the farmers' market and didn't update his address, authorities discovered.

Investigators looked on the Lehi Farmers Market social media pages and found the man dressed up as Elmo from "Sesame Street." They also found two Instagram photos of the sex offender holding a child while he was on a tractor, as well as interacting with animals.

The man, named Larry Jarvis, registered as a sex offender after a conviction in 1995 on two counts of attempted sexual assault.

Utah law requires that all registered sex offenders must get permission from parents before being in the presence of their child. However, the man was allegedly in violation of these stipulations.

Jarvis was arrested and charged with failure to update sex offender registry address, a third-degree felony, as well as a misdemeanor charge of sex offender violation in a protected area.

He was released on a $5,000 bond.

The offender took a FaceTime call with local outlet KUTV and apologized to the community.

"I've been on this for 30 years and no other offenses. I'm trying to improve myself and be helpful to others. I really am sorry that I offended everyone and apologize for any kind of fear or undue concern that I caused them, especially for my sweet wife, and other people I know and worked with," Jarvis said.

"If they have concerns, I understand because there is such a stigma attached to the word sex offender," he added.

The farmers' market posted on Facebook that organizers are "looking into all concerns and working closely with law enforcement to ensure that our farm is a safe, family friendly place to visit."

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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."

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.

'Sesame Street' introduces two gay dads and their daughter for 'Family Day' episode — the first married gay couple to appear on iconic children's show



"Sesame Street" introduced two gay dads and their daughter for a recent "Family Day" episode — and it was the first time the iconic children's TV program has shown a married gay couple, according to Yahoo Entertainment, which called it "a bold statement for LGBTQ visibility."

‘Sesame Street’ takes a big leap for LGBTQ visibility, introduces gay dads with a daughter https://t.co/DTEz0jhBxu https://t.co/nxFMPpNW8x

— Yahoo Entertainment (@YahooEnt) 1624043165.0

What are the details?

The outlet said in a separate story that the episode's two gay dads are Frank (Alex Weisman) and Dave (Chris Costa), the brother of bike-store owner Nina (Chris Costa), and their daughter is Mia (Olivia Perez).

In the clip of the episode, the couple arrives onscreen at about the 2-minute mark, announcing in unison, "We're here!"

After some hugs, Nina excitedly says, "OK, everybody, everybody! I want you to meet my brother Dave, his husband Frank, and my sobrina [niece] Mia!"

Image source: YouTube screenshot

From there it's your garden-variety "Sesame Street" stuff, but toward the end of the episode, Frank tells the group that "there's all kinds of different families, but what makes us a family is that we love each other."

Image source: YouTube screenshot

'Love is love'

"Sesame Street has always been a welcoming place of diversity and inclusion," cast member Alan Muraoka wrote on Facebook. "So I'm so excited to introduce Nina's Brother Dave, his husband Frank, and their daughter Mia to our sunny street. Our Family Day episode drops today on HBOMax and on YouTube ... 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!!!!"

'Undeniable trend of inclusion'

"The 'Family Day' episode of Sesame Street sends the simple and important message that families come in all forms and that love and acceptance are always the most important ingredients in a family," GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis told Yahoo Entertainment. "Frank and Dave, as Mia's dads, are the latest characters in an undeniable trend of inclusion across kids & family programming, one that allows millions of proud LGBTQ parents, and our children, to finally get to see families like ours reflected on TV."

Here's the episode:

Sesame Street: Family Day | Full Street Storyyoutu.be

Anything else?

While the "Family Day" episode may have been historic for "Sesame Street," it was far from the first time it's touched on LGBTQ issues.

Last year, Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) blasted the program for a Pride Month tweet:

Endless propaganda. This is a taxpayer-funded show targeted at Pre-K children. It doesn’t need to be talking about… https://t.co/aSsqhP0PzS

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) 1592413273.0

"Sesame Street" posted a similar tweet this month:

Happy #PrideMonth from your friends at Sesame Street. Everyone is welcome in our neighborhood! https://t.co/AZz3rC3bv9

— Sesame Street (@sesamestreet) 1623696469.0

Yahoo Entertainment also noted that the narrator for an "Elmo's World" segment in the show's 2017 Father's Day episode acknowledged same-sex couples by saying, "You might have a stepdad, or even two dads." The outlet added that a "Sesame Street" episode in August 2017 ("Hello Rudy") had a child saying "I love my moms" just before getting kissed by both of her moms.

In addition, Yahoo Entertainment noted that "Sesame Street" has also "stood up for equality by welcoming several out celebrities on the show — including Ellen DeGeneres, Billy Eichner, Billy Porter and recently Lil Nas X."