Tinky Winky started a still talked-about controversy in 1999 due to his carrying a bag that looks like a woman 's handbag , ( although he was first called gay by the academic and cultural critic Andy Medhurst in a letter of July 1997 to The Face ) , and gained the interest of Jerry Falwell in 1997 when Fallwell said that the character was a `` gay role model '' ( an example of a `` gay '' person ) . Tinky Winky started a still hinted-at controversy in 1999 due to his carrying a bag that looks much like a woman 's handbag ( although he was first `` outed '' by the academic and cultural critic Andy Medhurst in a letter of July 1997 to The Face ) . He aroused the interest of Jerry Falwell in 1999 when Falwell alleged that the character was a `` gay role model '' .