Overview

#BoycottHallmark is a hashtag used in response to news that the Hallmark Channel had pulled an advertisement that featured a same-sex couple marrying and kissing. Following reports of the news, many accused the channel of homophobia and discrimination. The station contested, stating that they believed that the kiss would distract from the programming. Viewers responded by tweeting "#BoycottHallmark" in hopes of calling attention to the controversy.

Background

On December 2nd, 2019, LifePetitions.com,^[1] a platform "exclusively serving pro-life and pro-family communities," launched a petition to "Tell Hallmark No LGBT Christmas movies!"
They announced that they would campaign to ask Hallmark to "keep sex and sexual practices – including the promotion of homosexuality, transgenderism, etc. – out of their movies."

On December 13th, One Million Moms,^[6] a conservative group, wrote, "1MM has personally spoken with Crown Media Family Networks CEO Bill Abbott who confirmed Hallmark Channel has pulled the Zola.com commercial, featuring a same-sex couple, from their network. He reported the advertisement aired in error, but he was informed about it after hearing from concerned 1MM supporters."

On December 14th, 2019, The Hollywood Reporter^[2] reported that the online wedding registry Zola had pulled all advertisements from the Hallmark Channel because the network had censored a Zola commercial that featured a same-sex couple marrying and kissing (advertisement shown below). According to the report, that the ban came following increased pressure from the conservative groups One Million Moms and Lifesite. The channel continued to air advertisements that focused on heterosexual couples.

Developments

Zola's Statement

Mike Chi, Zola's chief marketing officer, told the Hollywood Reporter that they would no longer be advertising on Hallmark. He said:

The only difference between the commercials that were flagged and the ones that were approved was that the commercials that did not meet Hallmark’s standards included a lesbian couple kissing. Hallmark approved a commercial where a heterosexual couple kissed. All kisses, couples and marriages are equal celebrations of love and we will no longer be advertising on Hallmark.

Hallmark's Statement

A spokesperson for Hallmark told the Hollywood Reporter, "Crown Media Family Networks made the decision to pull the commercials. The debate surrounding these commercials on all sides was distracting from the purpose of our network, which is to provide entertainment value."

Online Reaction

Following the news, some reacted negatively to the news of the advertisement's censorship. GLAAD (the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) tweeted, ^[3] "The Hallmark Channel’s decision to remove LGBTQ families in such a blatant way is discriminatory and especially hypocritical coming from a network that claims to present family programming." The tweet received more than 3,000 likes and 950 retweets in less than two days (shown below, left).

Twitter^[4] user @treasonstickers wrote, "Republicans: Two women kissing? Not on my Christmas network! Also Republicans: The President used $130k in campaign funds to pay off a pornstar he had sex with, cheating on his 3rd wife while she was home nursing his young child? That’s fine. No problems there!" The tweet received more than 5,900 likes and 1,800 retweets in less than two days (shown below, center).

Reinstatement

On December 16th, 2019, the Hallmark Channel announced that they would be reinstating the commercial. Hallmark CEO Mike Perry said in a statement:^[5]

“The Crown Media team has been agonizing over this decision as we’ve seen the
hurt it has unintentionally caused. Said simply, they believe this was the wrong decision. 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.

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.

Search Interest

Not Available.

External References