'You do the math, folks,' says the Gay Financial Network. The evidence: His best friend is an 'ebullient pink starfish' named Patrick his neighbor Squidward takes bubble baths, listens to classical music, and 'talks like Paul Lynde' and SpongeBob and Patrick occasionally hold hands while watching a TV show called The Adventures of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy. In 2002, series creator Stephen Hillenburg countered rumors that SpongeBob SquarePants is gay, saying the character is 'somewhat asexual.' But the questions persist.