Hallmark to reinstate same-sex marriage commercials

NEW YORK >> The Hallmark Channel, reversing what it called a “wrong decision,” said Sunday it will reinstate commercials featuring same-sex couples that it had pulled following a complaint.

The earlier decision by Crown Media, Hallmark’s parent company, to pull several ads for the wedding planning site Zola featuring two brides kissing at the altar had launched a storm of protest. Celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres and William Shatner criticized the move and the hashtag #BoycottHallmarkChannel was trending on Twitter at one point.

“The Crown Media team has been agonizing over this decision as we’ve seen the hurt it has unintentionally caused,” said a statement issued Sunday evening by Hallmark Cards CEO Mike

Perry. “Said simply, they believe this was the wrong decision . ... We are truly sorry for the hurt and disappointment this has caused.”

Zola, the wedding planning site that made the ads, said it was relieved that the decision to pull them had been reversed. In an email, the company said it would be in touch with Hallmark “regarding a potential return to advertising.”

“We are humbled by everyone who showed support not only for Zola, but for all LGBTQ couples and families who express their love on their wedding day, and every day,” said a statement Sunday evening from the company’s chief marketing officer, Mike Chi.

A complaint by One Million Moms, part of the American Family Association, a conservative group, led to the initial decision to pull the the Zola ads.