The Hallmark Channel is backtracking on its decision to pull four commercials from wedding-planning site Zola that featured a lesbian wedding and apologized for the outrage-inciting move. Hallmark’s decision to remove the ads and keep running those featuring a heterosexual couple getting married followed a petition by One Million Moms against the commercials, which garnered nearly 30,000 signatures. The president and CEO of the LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD, Sarah Kate Ellis, said in an interview with CNN that it was “surprising” that Hallmark listened to One Million Moms, which she described as a known anti-LGBTQ hate group. In a statement, Hallmark CEO Mike Perry said the company “is, and always has been, committed to diversity and inclusion—both in our workplace as well as the products and experiences we create. It is never Hallmark’s intention to be divisive or generate controversy. We are an inclusive company and have a track record to prove it… The Hallmark Channel will be reaching out to Zola to reestablish our partnership and reinstate the commercials.”
