Wow. I can really see why Hallmark Channel wouldn’t want to air this truly offensive and utterly outrageous advertisement featuring a lesbian couple getting married. I mean, the gall! Like they kissed on the lips at the altar. Disgusting! After committing their lives to one another in a legal wedding ceremony. Horrific! And then, then one of them kissed the other’s hand as they walk down the aisle as wife-and-wife. Unconscionable!
Oh, wait, sorry. Scratch that and reverse it. It’s truly offensive and outrageous, galling and disgusting, horrific and unconscionable that the Hallmark Channel should pull this totally innocuous, feel-good and might I remind everyone totally legal in all 50-states TV spot that featured two lesbians getting married.
And yet, they did*. The TV channel known for making truly cheesy movies about straight couples falling in love in every possible setting imaginable apparently thinks lesbians getting married is a bridge too far. The channel bowed to pressure by the ultra-conservative group One Million Moms and pulled the ads in question from the wedding planning site Zola, while leaving up nearly identical ads featuring straight couples doing the same apparently offensive kissing and committing their lives to one another. Hmm, what could the difference be? It’s so hard to know.
The good news is, no one needs to watch - or should watch - Hallmark movies anyway. Particularly during the holiday season when the channel has made a cottage industry out of cranking out truly cheesy Christmas-themed straight romances.
So may I humbly suggest these movies, all featuring queer female couples kissing and falling in love during the holidays.
Season of Love
This movie from the lesbian-owned and operated production company Tello Films is the holiday lesbian romance you wish Hallmark would air, but clearly won’t.
Let It Snow
This lovely ensemble Netflix film is a bit like “Love, Actually,” but set in small-town America with teenagers – including a same-sex female couple – and plenty of holiday romance.
Carol
This is the O.G. lesbian holiday movie. Be sure to give it a rewatch on Netflix Dec. 21, a.k.a. Carol Aird Day. If Cate Blanchette using her Carol voice doesn’t immediately get you feeling, uh, merry and bright, then I cannot help you. I mean, they aren’t called Christmas Carols for nothing, right ladies?
*UPDATE: I was offline all of yesterday, but it appears later Sunday night Hallmark indeed reversed this decision. Which is good. But this never should have been controversial in the first place. And Hallmark has still never made a LGBTQ holiday romcom, so my suggestions very much still stand.
Cannot help but feel despondent when I read this. Carol voice was what I needed to feel a bit better.
ReplyDeleteHallmark has reversed their decision now. But since their channel relies on viewers with traditional (bigoted?) values, this is going to hurt them as boycotts are coming. It's not like most of the gay community watches Hallmark, and even if they did, it's a small % compared to their heterosexual/conservative viewership. They should have just responded initially with "we are going to run the ads because it is the right thing to do". Now they are damned if they do or don't.
ReplyDeleteThe Hallmark PR team apologized and the ad is back but it’s too late, damage is done
ReplyDeleteWhere is Post L? pass on you today..
ReplyDelete