The Hallmark Channel has removed an ad featuring a lesbian couple on their wedding day after backlash by a conservative group.
“One Million Moms,” a group of conservative women, asked to have the ad, along with three others, pulled from the network, citing a violation of “family friendly” content.
“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. Way to go!” a statement posted to their website said.
The Hallmark Channel, known for its Christmas movies geared toward families, issued a statement defending their decision as a defense of morality.
“The decision not to air overt public displays of affection in our sponsored advertisement, regardless of the participants, is in line with our current policy, which includes not featuring political advertisements, offensive language, R-rated movie content, and many other categories,” a representative said in a statement.
A representative for Zola pushed back on Hallmark’s decision to pull their ads.
“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,” said Mike Chi, the chief marketing officer of Zola. “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.”
UPDATE: The Hallmark Channel reversed its decision on Sunday and pledged to both reinstate the ad and attempt to reestablish its partnership with Zola.
