Hallmark TV reverses its ban on same-sex wedding advert
THE Hallmark television channel has apologised for removing a same-sex wedding advert following pressure from a US conservative mothers’ group.
The cable network pulled an advert for the wedding planning website Zola that featured two brides kissing, after the American activist group One Million Moms filed a complaint.
The decision prompted a widespread backlash online, with television host Ellen Degeneres and Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg among those criticising the move.
“Families are built on love – no matter what they look like. Being ‘family friendly’ means honouring love, not censoring difference,” Mr Buttigieg wrote.
Degeneres asked: “Isn’t it almost
2020?”
The Star Trek actor William Shatner said “shame on Hallmark channel” and took aim at One Million Moms, adding: “They are NOT a majority here.”
Hallmark’s parent company Crown Family Networks subsequently announced it would reverse the decision and reinstate its relationship with Zola.
“The Crown Media team has been agonising over this decision as we’ve seen the hurt it has unintentionally caused,” Mike Perry, CEO of Hallmark Cards, said in a statement.
“Said simply, they believe this was the wrong decision.”
Zola had produced six different commercials for its advertising campaign to run on Hallmark, four of which included a same-sex couple.
When Hallmark removed the adverts featuring the gay couple but kept the two that featured heterosexual couples, Zola reportedly made the decision to pull all of the adverts.