Hallmark commits to ‘LGBTQ storylines,’ caves to left-wing pressure

One of television’s last refuges from identity politics will soon be no more, as the Hallmark Channel announced it will add homosexual and/or transgender stories to its film slate.

“Diversity and inclusion is a top priority for us and we look forward to making some exciting programming announcements in the coming months, including announcements about projects featuring LGBTQ storylines, characters, and actors,” a Hallmark spokesperson revealed to People after receiving online complaints about the lack of obvious LGBT content in its 2020 lineup of holiday movies. “We are committed to creating a Hallmark experience where everyone feels welcome."

For years, the Hallmark Channel’s made-for-TV movies have been a source of wholesome comfort entertainment in contrast to Hollywood’s increasingly “woke” output, which has also made it a target of pro-LGBT activists.

Last fall, the channel temporarily aired a commercial for the wedding planning service Zola, featuring a same-sex “wedding” that ended with two women kissing – an apparent manifestation of stated interest in “broadening out the demographic” made by Bill Abbott, CEO of Hallmark parent company Crown Media Family Networks. 

Hallmark pulled the ad following backlash from pro-family groups such as LifeSiteNews and One Million Moms but soon reinstated it under counter-pressure from LGBT groups and celebrities such as Ellen DeGeneres and William Shatner.

After that victory, LGBT activists pressured and secured from Hallmark a promise to work with the pro-LGBT pressure group GLAAD “to better represent the LGBTQ community across our portfolio of brands.”

Not everyone is thrilled with the Hallmark Channel’s new direction, of course.

“This literally goes against the core demographic of Hallmark Channel, who are mostly straight, white women between 18 and 54,” Billy Usher of One Angry Gamer noted. “26.52 percent of Hallmark’s viewers are 50 and older, according to Statista.”

“It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that it’s the last safe haven from the Rainbow Mafia racket,” Usher lamented. “Every other station, channel, broadcast network and streaming service is filled to the brim with LGBTQIA+ propaganda. There’s nowhere to turn to find wholesome, positive, family-oriented content other than the Hallmark Channel.”

Conservatives have tried to warn Hallmark that attempting to appease LGBT activists will only alienate core audience members in the name of appealing to people who either don’t watch anyway or will never accept their efforts as good enough. “After carefully building an extraordinarily successful niche market, Hallmark just told everyone in it to take a hike,” PJ Media’s Stephen Kruiser wrote last December.

Readers can click here to read, sign, and share LifeSiteNews’ petition urging Hallmark executives to “keep sex and sexual practices – including the promotion of homosexuality, transgenderism, etc. – out of your movies.”