The creek as an allegory for the LGBTQ+ community
As Craig has said many times in the series, what he likes about the creek is that he considers it a place where kids are free to be themselves. Indeed, it's been established in "Crisis at Elder Rock" that none of the creek kids' parents know what they get up to while they're there. While this obviously means that they don't know about the dangerous situations they sometimes find themselves in, it also means that the creek is somewhere they can express their true selves, perhaps away from the prying eyes of parents who would otherwise not approve of certain things about them, like the gay community being a place where gay people are free to choose who they love, and how to live their lives.It was mentioned in "Lost in the Sewers" that part of why the Sewer Kids hang out in the sewers all day is because it's where they can find a place full of water they can beat the heat in without having to go to a public pool, where the Sewer Queen is apparently made fun of for her webbed toes, where others are forced to take off their shirts, and where Frizz Boy, one assumes, isn't allowed to take off his shirt so the others don't have to look at his physique. The LGBTQ+ community is seen as a place where these people aren't judged or laughed at just because they don't fit the standards of mainstream society.
The Green Poncho who predated Omar, Michelle Green, is revealed in "The Rise And Fall Of The Green Poncho" to have been a high schooler who still hung out at the creek like The Elders Of The Creek. However, she was forced to give it up when Xavier threatened to blab her secret to Randy, who was apparently quite the blabbermouth. As a result, she called up her friend to hang out at the mall. This could be seen as Michelle being forced back into the closet, with the mall representing mainstream society. Hence, this is seen as Michelle being forced to give up who she really is to "fit in".
