Hallmark Channel Apologizes For Pulling Gay Ads After Backlash

This is the ad that Hallmark Channel pulled down.

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Same-sex marriage is the law of the land. There is no one way to love and be loved. pic.twitter.com/1JzNdN8I9v

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) December 15, 2019

If you were on Twitter this weekend you probably saw the viral news that that the Hallmark Channel pulled Zola wedding registry ads featuring a lesbian couple after receiving backlash from the conservative anti-LGBTQ group One Million Moms. Four of Zola's six ads featured the lezbos, and when Hallmark pulled just the four ads, Zola pulled out entirely from the deal and condemned the network. What's truly unbelievable from a PR perspective is that Hallmark doubled down on their decision even after Twitter erupted with tweets accusing the network of being anti-gay, stating:

The debate surrounding these commercials on all sides was distracting from the purpose of our network, which is to provide entertainment value.

And:

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.

One Million Moms immediately released a statement applauding the network's decision:

The call to our office gave us the opportunity to also confirm the Hallmark Channel will continue to be a safe and family friendly network. Praise the Lord!

But the quirky thing about the Lord is that he giveth and taketh, betches. The Hallmark Channel, after explicitly stating that LGBTQ people "generate controversy" and are "distracting" pulled a 180 yesterday. They now are not only going to reach out to Zola to reinstate the ads, but also to GLAAD to improve their LGBTQ representation in the future:

Hallmark will be working with GLAAD to better represent the LGBTQ community across our portfolio of brands. The Hallmark Channel will be reaching out to Zola to reestablish our partnership and reinstate the commercials. pic.twitter.com/p17nJpnjEB

— Hallmark (@Hallmark) December 16, 2019

To which Zola replied:

We were deeply troubled when Hallmark rejected our commercials for featuring a lesbian couple celebrating their marriage, and are relieved to see that decision was reversed.

And here we are. So, I'm going to spill some insider knowledge. I worked in creative at American Greetings, and can say that both AG and Hallmark - despite both publishing LGBTQ cards - are deeply conservative companies catering to the people you see on TLC reality shows. When Honey Boo Boo is your target audience you don't really prioritize representation. As Hallmark could just as easily release yet another flowery statement - this time rescinding their newly deepfelt empathy for the LGBTQ population - if their number-crunching reveals this woke turn to be a bust, I wouldn't trust 'em. I mean, watch "Christmas Wishes & Mistletoe Kisses" all you want, but maybe let's not crown Hallmark the gay icon of 2020. YET.