Faithwire
  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • SCOTUS
  • Life
  • Religious Liberty
  • News
  • Politics
  • Faith
  • Opinion

Hallmark Channel Caves to LGBTQ Complaints After Pulling Lesbian Wedding Ad

Image by Getty Creative / hobo_018
Image by Getty Creative / hobo_018
Share Tweet
By Tré Goins-Phillips
Editor

December 16, 2019

After being smacked around by a few heavy hitters on social media, the Hallmark Channel has apologized and vowed to reinstate a handful of previously removed LGBTQ-friendly wedding ads on its platform.

Hallmark Channel CEO Says Company Is ‘Open’ to Making LGBTQ-Friendly Christmas Movies

Mike Perry, president and CEO of Hallmark Cards, Inc., said Sunday he is “truly sorry for the hurt and disappointment” caused by the decision to pull four Zola wedding ads, which featured a lesbian couple.

Crown Media Family Networks apologizes for the decision to remove an ad featuring a same-sex couple. "We are truly sorry…

Posted by Hallmark Channel's Countdown To Christmas on Sunday, December 15, 2019

“The Crown Media team has been agonizing over this decision as we’ve seen the hurt it has unintentionally caused,” he explained. “Said simply, they believe this was the wrong decision. Our mission is rooted in helping all people connect, celebrate traditions, and be inspired to capture meaningful moments in their lives. Anything that detracts from this purpose is not who we are.”

The apology and reversal came after the company, known for its Christmas movies, was criticized by people like Monica Lewinsky, Ellen DeGeneres, and Andy Lassner.

TRY THIS @hallmarkchannel :
We apologize to the LGBTQ community + your allies. We used an outdated mode of decision making. It was wrong. We’re sorry.
We’re taking steps to make sure this never happens again.
We’re now running the ad in all of our programming every comm break.

— Monica Lewinsky (@MonicaLewinsky) December 15, 2019

Isn’t it almost 2020? @hallmarkchannel, @billabbottHC… what are you thinking? Please explain. We’re all ears.

— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) December 15, 2019

To all the actors, actresses, producers, directors, employees, etc., at the @hallmarkchannel –

It’s not your fault they made the discriminatory decision to pull the ad.

I get if it’s tricky to publicly protest this decision.

But I pray you fight like hell against it privately.

— andy lassner (@andylassner) December 15, 2019

Hallmark’s leaders initially decided to remove the Zola ads after the conservative activist group One Million Moms — which represents a sizable chunk of the network’s target demographic — launched a petition denouncing the commercials as inappropriate for a family friendly channel because of its “promotion of homosexuality.”

The Rev. Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the charity Samaritan’s Purse and the son of the late evangelist Billy Graham, promised in a post to “change the channel” if he’s watching Hallmark “and an ad with gay people kissing comes on.”

“We — and millions of others — have appreciated their wholesome content that was unlike so much of what is on television today,” he wrote. “But the LGBTQ agenda bullies everybody — including the Hallmark Channel.”

We can change the channel. That’s what I’ll do if I’m watching the Hallmark Channel and an ad with gay people kissing…

Posted by Franklin Graham on Monday, December 16, 2019

The group claimed it spoke with Bill Abbott, president and CEO of Hallmark Channel, who told them the advertisements in question “aired in error.”

Here’s the Zola ad, if you’re curious:

In the wake of the backlash, Hallmark has promised to work alongside the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, or GLAAD, to “better represent the LGBTQ community across our portfolio of brands.” The network will also be “reaching out to Zola to reestablish our partnership and reinstate the commercials.”

Transgender Writer Claims ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ is the ‘Queerest Holiday Special Ever’

For its part, Zola has pulled all advertising from the Hallmark network — at least for now, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“The only difference between the commercials that were flagged and the ones that were approved was that the commercials that did not meet Hallmark’s standards included a lesbian couple kissing,” said Mike Chi, chief marketing officer for Zola. “Hallmark approved a commercial where a heterosexual couple kissed.”

“All kisses, couples and marriages are equal celebrations of love and we will no longer be advertising on Hallmark,” he added.

What else?

Before any of this started, the Hallmark Channel went into cleanup mode after Abbott said during a podcast interview in November that the network is “open” to filming movies with lead characters who are gay.

“We’re open to really any type of movie of any type of relationship in any space,” he said on The Hollywood Reporter’s “TV’s Top 5” podcast.

Abbott made the concession after one of his interviewers said to him, “I’m gay; where are the same-sex movies? Have you talked about incorporating stories about same-sex couples at Christmas?”

Candace Cameron Bure Explains Sin, God’s Righteousness in 30 Seconds

She went on to complain the Hallmark Channel is often on the TVs at their respective family members’ homes during the holidays and they have not seen any Christmas movies reflecting her lesbian lifestyle.

‘My wife and I are not reflected on anything you guys are doing,” she said. “It would be really cool to broaden out and have our nieces see a version of us on TV, or see a version of anything else besides Christmas with, you know, white leads.”

Latest

  • News

    Charges Dropped Against Christian Woman Arrested After Silently Praying in Her Head Outside Clinic — but She Plans to Continue the Battle

  • Entertainment

    What’s the Biggest Mistake Christians Make When Balancing Truth & Love? Christian Singer Mike Donehey Unveils His Take

  • News

    ‘A Football Coach…Not a Pastor: NFL Legend Deion Sanders Targeted by Atheists for Alleged ‘Unconstitutional Actions’

  • News

    ‘God Is With Me’: Woman Was Just Seconds From Potential Death When 3,000 lb Boulder Burst Through Her Living Room

  • News

    PRAY: Police Search For Answers After NJ Christian Councilwoman Killed Outside Her Home


Sponsored
Sponsored

Newsletter
Signup

Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • Charges Dropped Against Christian Woman Arrested After Silently Praying in Her Head Outside Clinic — but She Plans to Continue the Battle
  • What’s the Biggest Mistake Christians Make When Balancing Truth & Love? Christian Singer Mike Donehey Unveils His Take
  • ‘A Football Coach…Not a Pastor: NFL Legend Deion Sanders Targeted by Atheists for Alleged ‘Unconstitutional Actions’
  • ‘God Is With Me’: Woman Was Just Seconds From Potential Death When 3,000 lb Boulder Burst Through Her Living Room
  • PRAY: Police Search For Answers After NJ Christian Councilwoman Killed Outside Her Home

Archives

  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016

Categories

  • Christian Persecution
  • Coronavirus
  • culture
  • Culture
  • Entertainment
  • Faith
  • Faith
  • Family
  • George Floyd
  • Go!
  • Israel
  • Life
  • Life
  • Lifestyle
  • Media
  • Men
  • Mission Haiti
  • News
  • News
  • Opinion
  • P.O.V
  • Politics
  • Politics
  • Sponsored
  • Sports
  • Virtue
  • Women

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Navigation

  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Staff
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Sign up to get our newsletter your inbox every day.

Newsletter Signup

Do you want to read
more articles like this?