The Hallmark Channel Promises To Gay Up Their Christmas Movies This Year
Christmas is about to get gayer than usual (although, not as gay as an episode of Glee, above), and especially gayer than it’s ever gotten on Hallmark Channel. The network known for its sappy, predictable, and abundant heterosexual romances, has chosen to expand its portfolio, and reports are coming out that the LGBTQ+ community is about to infest the holy Halls of Mark. This year’s Christmas lineup will finally include some LGTBQ-folks. Don’t worry gay-haters, I’m sure it will be the bare-minimum homosexual representation–like early-seasons Modern Family.
Out reports that Hallmark is in “active negotiations” and have plans to soon reveal more about some of the movies in this year’s “Countdown to Christmas” and “Miracles of Christmas” holiday programming. According to a rep for Hallmark, this year’s Christmas orgy of content will include LGBTQ+ characters, actors, and storylines. This is a change-up from their previous announcements of 2020/2021 holiday stuff, which included zero queer themes or characters. The network released a partial list of 40 movies for the upcoming holiday season and they immediately got shit on for not having any LGBTQ+ stories. Netflix writer, JP Larocque, jokingly dragged them:
We are not free until a QUEER lonely careerist leaves the big city to run their small-town family business during the holidays and inadvertently falls in love with a generically good-looking person from their past. https://t.co/ei2zzVb6HX
— JP Larocque (@jplarocque) July 15, 2020
George Zaralidis, the VP of network program publicity at Hallmark parent company, Crown Media Family Networks, released a statement saying that diversity is a “top priority.”
“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… We are committed to creating a Hallmark experience where everyone feels welcome.”
This is pretty rich since Hallmark just last year briefly removed a commercial for wedding-planning service, Zola, which featured a lesbian couple until the blowback forced them to put it back on. And Hilarie Burton-Morgan piled on by revealing she specifically asked Hallmark for diversity in a project and quit because they refused.
The holiday season isn’t that far away, so not sure how Hallmark is going to infuse the LGBTQ+ community into the movies they’ve already ordered. I have a feeling that the big gay scene will be when a gay guy at a holiday party is offered hot cocoa and says, “HOT cocoa?! Where’s the ICED cocoa, sis?! Have a seat. I love Lady Gaga!”
Pic: YouTube