It's 2019 and even cartoons are adjusting their characters to be with the times — teaching their young viewers about the importance of gay rights.
It's truly a wonderful time to be alive.
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Mr. Ratburn Came Out As Gay On 'Arthur' And Fans Are Loving It
Obviously, we all remember one of our childhood favorites, "Arthur".
Surely, I don't need to remind you of how awesome the show was. It was an iconic part of our childhoods that most of us still and will hold fresh in our memories for all of eternity.
Don't @ me.
And now, here's a little tidbit of information that will make you feel old AF.
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The show has been airing for 22 years.
That's right — it's still airing to this day.
In the 22nd season premier, Mr. Ratburn, the rigid, cake-loving teacher, marries the love of his life.
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And the love of his life just happens to be another man — well, aardvark? Or rat?
Either way, it was a beautiful representation of same-sex marriage.
The LGBTQ community and supporters were thrilled to see gay representation in a children's show.
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It is so important to normalize gay rights, especially for children who are still learning who they are.
This was such a forward-thinking move by the writers of Arthur.
Twitter was really loving it.
Many fans claimed they always knew Mr. Ratburn was gay — even when they were kids, but were surprised that the show actually let it be known in a more official way.
Some fans are really just over the moon that Mr. Ratburn's sexuality has been confirmed.
We all had our suspicions growing up, with no way to know for sure. But it's refreshing to have it be announced in a more formal fashion.
Other fans are wondering why it took a whole 22 years for the show to finally make this happen.
Twitter | @PirateMonkie
Little did we know, it was all in due time.
Better late than never, amirite?
Some fans aren't as surprised about Mr. Ratburn being gay as they are to find out that "Arthur" is still airing new episodes.
After all this time, Arthur is still going strong. Who knew.
One person pointed out that Mr. Ratburn didn't actually "come out" as gay.
We all found out because he invited everyone to his wedding — which implies that he has been in a same-sex relationship for quite some time. Potentially the entire time we've known of him.
This fan applauded the writers of the show for doing this.
It definitely was a big thing for them to do, but totally necessary in this day and age! It's honestly about time.
Other people pointed out Mr. Ratburn's "clearly queer" sister sitting in the front row — looking iconic af.
Sexual orientation aside for a moment — this is a lewk.
It gets even better: Mr. Ratburn's lesbian sister is played by Jane Lynch.
Okay, I really need to start watching Arthur again. It's getting really good.
This person tweeted that they thought it was totally obvious from the start that Mr. Ratburn has always been gay.
In hindsight, 100%.
But it's great that they're putting it all on the table for today's kids that are watching it.
This fan made fun of what a homophobic person is probably commenting on this somewhere on social media.
I hate that this is so accurate.
Love is love, people!
Fans are calling Mr. Ratburn the gay icon they never knew they needed — and I have to agree.
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Let us know what you think about Arthur representing gay rights!
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