The bosses of children's show Sesame Street are refusing to turn popular puppet characters Bert and Ernie gay, so they can get married.
A longtime fan of the show has posted a petition on website Change.org urging the writers and producers to consider a gay marriage episode now that samesex unions are legal in New York, where the program is set.
Lair Scott, who sparked debate with his Sesame Street gay marriage proposal, wrote: "It can be done in a tasteful way. Let us teach tolerance of those that are different."
But a spokesman for the Sesame Workshop insists the idea will never make it to the show: "Bert and Ernie are best friends.
They were created to teach pre-schoolers that people can be good friends with those who are very different from themselves."
