Hallmark Channel is facing social media backlash and calls for a boycott after pulling a commercial at the request of a Christian mothers group that showed a same-sex couple kissing, which the company says was "distracting from the purpose of [the] network," CNN reports.
Where it stands: The commercial was one of multiple on Hallmark that advertised the online wedding planning service "Zola." According to Zola, the only difference between the ad that was pulled and others that were approved by the network was that two women kissed in the flagged version. The alternate commercial showed a heterosexual couple doing the same.
- The removal was sparked by a campaign from One Million Moms, which claimed in a statement: "Until recently, Hallmark had a good record for keeping their movies and commercials family friendly. Now, parents can no longer trust Hallmark because Hallmark is no longer allowing parents to be the primary educators when it comes to sex and sexual morality."
- Hallmark wrote in a statement in response that "debate surrounding these commercials on all sides was distracting from the purpose of our network, which is to provide entertainment value."
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