The Hallmark Channel on Sunday said
that it was reversing its decision to pull an ad featuring a lesbian
couple.
The ad from online wedding registry
Zola.com shows a lesbian couple exchanging vows and later kissing
after exchanging vows. The commercial began airing on the channel on
December 2.
Mike Perry, the president and CEO of
Hallmark, Inc. said that the company had “seen the hurt it has
unintentionally caused.”
“Said simply, [executives at parent
company Crown Media Family Networks] believe this was the wrong
decision,” Perry said. “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. We are truly sorry for the hurt and
disappointment this has caused.”
The ad was pulled after the Christian
conservative group One Million Moms criticized the network for the ad
and for saying that it was “open” to producing movies with
same-sex couples.
“One Million Moms is asking Hallmark
to stay true to its family friendly roots that so many families have
grown to love, and to keep sex and sexual content – including the
promotion of homosexuality – out of its programming,” the group
wrote. “Please sign our petition asking Hallmark to do what is
right and reject airing movies and commercials with LGBT content!”
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the
nation's largest LGBT rights advocate, criticized Hallmark's decision
to pull the Zola.com ad, saying that the network had “failed the
LGBT community and all of your customers.”
Democratic presidential hopeful Pete
Buttigieg, the openly gay mayor of South Bend, Indiana, also
criticized the network. “Being 'family friendly' means honoring
love, not censoring difference. This truth will be more important
than ever as we rebuild our nation into a place defined by belonging,
not by exclusion,” he wrote.
The hashtag #BoycottHallmarkChannel
trended on Twitter over the weekend.