Is Mister Rogers a Bisexual Icon?

"...I have found women attractive, and I have found men attractive."

byraffy

It's no surprise that Fred Rogers (know to most as simply Mister Rogers) is one of the most beloved people in modern history—but did you also know that the late children's television icon may have also been part of the LGBTQ community?

In a recent Twitter thread, YouTuber Cece Ewing talked about a recent conversation she had with her grandmother about how the Mister Rogers' Neighborhood host was, in fact, bisexual.

\u201cAnyway, wildest thing that\u2019s happened to me lately is when I went to talk to my grandmother and she was like \u201cdid you know Mr. Rogers was bisexual?\u201d and my gay ass, gay of the family, Miss Family Homosexual had to be like \u201che was WHAT?\u201d\u201d
— ProblemsofaBookNerd (@ProblemsofaBookNerd) 1551656547

\u201cAfter she watched the new documentary, she read the Mr. Roger\u2019s biography. Apparently he never used the word, but in an interview where he was asked if he was gay he said something like \u201cI\u2019m not gay, but I suppose if you look at attraction as a kind of line...\u201d
— ProblemsofaBookNerd (@ProblemsofaBookNerd) 1551656547

\u201cI would probably be somewhere in the middle\u201d and like. WHAT.\u201d
— ProblemsofaBookNerd (@ProblemsofaBookNerd) 1551656547

Another Twitter user, Gabriel Lunesce, then cited an exerpt from The Good Neighbor, a biography about Rogers by author Maxwell King, where Rogers himself talked about his sexuality and being attracted to both men and women.

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— ProblemsofaBookNerd (@ProblemsofaBookNerd) 1551656547

Of course, people were ecstatic at the prospect of Mister Rogers becoming the internet's new bi icon...

\u201cMr. Rogers: "I have found women attractive, and I have found men attractive."\n\nMR. ROGERS IS A BISEXUAL ICON?? 20biteen is off to a strong start\u201d
— wells (oakland enby is getting a phd??) (@wells (oakland enby is getting a phd??)) 1551814559

\u201cMr. Rogers was bisexual and he could sit in a chair just fine\u201d
— whit (@whit) 1551811243

\u201cHoly shit Mr. Rogers was #bisexual and my life has meaning again, today is so blessed\u201d
— Mackenzie Kincaid (@Mackenzie Kincaid) 1551819411

\u201cHuh. Mr Rogers was bisexual.\n\nCool.\u201d
— rebound but 2022 #bIm #acab #ABetterABK (@rebound but 2022 #bIm #acab #ABetterABK) 1551818574

\u201cMr. Rogers was bisexual. Oh my god.\u201d
— Ryan Adventure 2 (@Ryan Adventure 2) 1551818953

\u201cThat sound you hear across Twitter is the shrieking of a thousand bisexual adults delighted to find out a childhood hero, Mr. Rogers, is one of our own.\u201d
— Don\u2019t post about crimes. (@Don\u2019t post about crimes.) 1551820106

\u201cI can't believe Mr. Rogers is actually the Saint of Bisexuals, the kindest bisexual, the bisexual we all aspire to be as kind and loving as\u201d
— Orionid (@Orionid) 1551821778