Spongebob Squarepants supports Pride month

Is Spongebob Squarepants a member of the LGBTQ+ community?

Nickelodeon shared a message in support of Pride month - which is a month dedicated to supporting the LGBTQ+ community - on its social media account.

It said: "Celebrating Pride with the LGBTQ+ community and their allies this month and every month."

The caption was accompanied by images of queer characters from shows on Nickelodeon, such as Schwoz Schwartz from Henry Danger, and Korra from Legends of Korra, a spin-off series of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

The artwork was designed by Ramzy Masri.

But an image of Spongebob Squarepants was also included in the tweet, leading fans to question if Spongebob was a member of the LGBTQ+ community as well.

Spongebob Squarepants is a popular cartoon character in the LGBTQ+ community, and in the image shared, he can be seen wearing a rainbow tie, suggesting he supports gay rights.

Newsround has approached Nickelodeon to comment.