PETALING JAYA, June 15 — Cartoon character Spongebob Squarepants has officially come out as a proud member of the LGBTQ community.

The show’s network Nickelodeon celebrated Pride Month by posting a tweet on June 13 sharing rainbow-themed artwork of Spongebob along with photos of transgender actor Michael D Cohen from Henry Danger and Korra from the animated series The Legend of Korra, who identifies as bisexual in the show.

"Celebrating #Pride with the LGBTQ+ community and their allies this month and every month,” wrote Nickelodeon.

While some fans speculated that the announcement meant Spongebob is gay, others said that this is a confirmation of the character’s asexuality.

Spongebob Squarepants creator Stephen Hillenburg was quoted by The Wall Street Journal in 2002 saying that Spongebob and his starfish companion Patrick are asexual after the show began gaining popularity amongst gay men.

Asexuality is defined as a lack of sexual attraction to others with little to no desire for sexual activity and is classified as part of the LGBTQ spectrum.

Following Nickelodeon’s announcement, Twitter users began celebrating the news with some calling the sea sponge an "asexual icon.”