Hallmark Channel, one of America's mainstream networks offering different Hollywood shows and movies, has finally reversed their decision to pull out the controversial LGBT-inspired advertisement they aired on the network last week. The commercial was termed as "shameful" by a conservative group that made a protest against the said advertisement.
Zola Showed Same-Sex Marriage in a Commercial
Zola, a wedding planner website, recently made a partnership with Hallmark. The advertisement of Zola made a "controversial" representation of the LGBT community on its ads featuring same-sex marriage between a lesbian couple. This made a swirling tension for the conservatives like the organization named One Million Moms. According to them, Hallmark must be ashamed of what they aired on TV, especially for the families with children beside them.
"Shame on Hallmark for airing commercials with same-sex couples and even considering movies with LGBT content and lead characters," said in a statement of One Million Moms.
The management of Hallmark immediately removed the said series of LGBT advertisements and made a statement regarding the complaint of the organization.
"The debate surrounding these commercials on all sides was distracting from the purpose of our network, which is to provide entertainment value. The Hallmark brand is never going to be divisive. We don't want to generate controversy, we've tried very hard to stay out of it. We just felt it was in the best interest of the brand to pull them and not continue to generate controversy," said Molly Biwer, senior vice president for public affairs and communications at Hallmark, in the Associated Press.
#Boycott Hallmark Channel
Although the channel already said that they will not tolerate the said division the commercial created on their viewers, the company seemed to back away instantly from their initial decision after receiving a huge internet backlash from the LGBT community and even non-LGBT, forcing the angry masses to promote boycott against Hallmark Channel.
Hallmark Fixes Issue by Reinstating the Commercials
This impact from the online world made Hallmark president and CEO Mike Perry stand on the crowd and admitted that they made a 'wrong decision' after removing the said 'controversial' LGBT advertisement.
"Our mission is rooted in helping all people connect, celebrate traditions, and be inspired to capture meaningful moments in their lives. Anything that detracts for this purpose is not who we are. As the CEO of Hallmark, I am sorry for the hurt and disappointment this has caused," added by him.
Additionally, Perry also said on CNN that they will soon partner again with Zola and even advocacy organization GLAAD to "better represent" the LGBT community on its channel and brands.
Zola wholeheartedly accepted Hallmark's apology and said that they are relieved to find out that the channel will soon promote more LGBT-friendly content in their network.
Other Networks Joined in the Debate
As usual, since Hallmark received a negative backlash from TV viewers, other TV networks also joined in on the debate and slightly made some comments regarding their inconsistent decisions.
"This is what happens when you focus all your energy on exclusion instead of clever plotlines. Call us, @Zola. We celebrate the holidays with everyone," tweeted by Freeform, a cable channel owned by Disney.
Netflix did not also lose its chance to give its comment on the said issue and even promotes its LGBT-friendly shows and films on its network.
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