Is The Hallmark Channel Making Good on Their Promise to the Queer Community?
Barely a year ago, I wrote about Hallmark’s disastrous decision to pull a Zola commercial which happened to feature two women getting married. They swiftly pulled the ad in response to Conservative outcry against the so-called “gay agenda,” and then promptly apologized for that choice in response to the resulting backlash.
Last December, Hallmark learned a difficult lesson — nobody can play both sides forever. As long as Hallmark considers their brand a family-friendly space, they’ve got to decide if they’re for all families or only some of them.
And last year, Hallmark declared that they would choose inclusion, despite the protest of many Conservative voices. I should note, though, that there have been queer characters in Hallmark movies before. But their stories have definitely been sidelined and subdued.
Over the summer, Hallmark made a baby step into greater diversity by including its first gay wedding ceremony in one of their films. Of course, Wedding Every Weekend was still a decidedly…
