Shortly after the ads began, One Million Moms and Lifesite began running petitions and pressuring the powers-that-be to pull the advertisements and to stop airing content that feature the LGBTQ communities:
Please reconsider airing commercials with same-sex couples, and please do not add LGBT movies to the Hallmark Channel. Such content goes against Christian and conservative values that are important to your primary audience. You will lose viewers if you cave to the LBGT agenda.The Zola ads featuring the female couple was pulling this weekend and a Hallmark spokesperson justified the decision with the following statement: "The debate surrounding these commercials on all sides was distracting from the purpose of our network, which is to provide entertainment value."
Crown Media Family Networks CEO Bill Abbott subsequently told OMM reps that the Zola ads featuring the female couple was "aired in error," but confirmed that it's been pulled from their commercial rotation.
Which of course prompted backlash from the LGBTQ communities and their supporters.
Zola itself has pulled its ads from the Hallmark Channel, telling The Hollywood Reporter: "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. 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."
Frankly, I think that Bill Abbott and the Hallmark Channel underestimate the number of gay viewers that it's angered this week. I'm not quite sure how they're going to win us back.
You can watch Zola's ads at this link.