That's true like on Drake and Josh, Josh practically kissed Drake in the season premiere and they never called them gay
Here's what I have to say about this subject:
The gay jokes are OK because it's not like they are ruining SpongeBob's character or the show itself. Along with that, I think that in a sense any guy can have a little bit of femininess within them. My best friend who gets like 8 times more girls than me sometimes behaves a little bit feminine like saying that something is cute and he's not gay Also, girls can be the girliest they want and still have some sort of masculine side in them. Check out Pearl, she's the girliest girl in the show yet she talks like a man.
I'm not sure if I'm making sense though.