List of hallmark movies with gay characters
In a year of anti-LGBTQ backlash, Hallmark’s Christmas movies are a welcome sign of progress
A charming suburban couple welcomes a 6-year-old foster daughter on a joyous Christmas Eve. A successful Fresh York lawyer and an ambitious Brooklyn photographer are set up on a blind date by their parents and fall in love, just in time to celebrate Christmas together. One might think that these movies — “Christmas on Cherry Lane” and “Friends and Family Christmas” — are exactly the sort of heartwarming, family-friendly holiday romances that conservative culture warriors would cheer.
But this year on the Hallmark Channel, there’s a plot twist: The main characters are gay. Christmas movies have dominated the family-friendly channel’s winter programming for nearly two decades, with millions of loyal viewers. Last year, Hallmark aired its first Christmas movie with gay central characters. This year, two new movies feature gay and lesbian leading characters. Other movies have supporting LGBTQ characters as well.
The right has attacked mammoth corporations enjoy Budweiser and Target for daring
10 Must-See Hallmark Movies That Celebrate Diversity and Inclusion
The entertainment industry at large is becoming more diverse and inclusive, and this is certainly apparent at the Hallmark Channel. In recent years, while the network's beloved, comforting films still follow couples saving local businesses and partaking in Christmas activities, the network has resolved to bring more diverse stories to the table in a variety of ways.
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Whether it's by adding Hanukkah and Kwanzaa to the fan-favorite Countdown to Christmas, bringing more diverse actors to the forefront, or breaking away from the norm with characters previously not represented on such TV movie fare, Hallmark Channel has used its platform to suggest more diverse characters and stories.
'The Holiday Sitter'
After years of slowly but surely including LGBTQ+ characters in their films, Hallmark Channel finally produced a Christmas movie with two openly gay leading men played by two openly gay actors - one being Jonathan Bennett of Me The Hallmark Channel is the ultimate hub for romantic comedies. However, love comes in all shapes and sizes, so shouldn't rom-coms do the same? This was the question on many fans' minds years ago, and it sparked a debate about the inclusivity and diversity on the network. Since then, Hallmark began a serious propel to become more inclusive with its storylines, and in , "The Christmas House" premiered, giving the network its first-ever movie with a gay couple front-and-center. The movie was a achievement, but it also sparked a new competitor network led by the former CEO of Hallmark, Bill Abbott, called Great American Family. When beloved Hallmark star, Candace Cameron Bure left to head to the new network, she told the Wall Street Journal, "I think that Great American Family will keep traditional marriage at the core." As many actors followed Cameron Bure, leaving the Hallmark Channel for the competitor, others have embraced the more inclusive changes at Hallmark. Hallmark has now incorporated LGBTQ+ characters an 12 Hallmark Stars Who Are LGBTQ+ Allies
Greater NW Pride: Gay Hallmark Holiday Movies and Me
While I was aware of the presence of Hallmark movies during the pre-cable days, when television merely had stations—yes, I’m that old—I’m also aware of the Hallmark Channel that can be streamed, with 24/7 viewings of Hallmark movies, along with Lifetime, Amazon Prime, Hulu, TLC, HGTV, and Bravo. The formulaic script for these Hallmark Hall of Fame movies are well known in our middle-class, white, suburban, straight, cisgender society. By and large, the movies on these channels reflect their viewing audience.
While I would watch a few minutes of these movies from occasion to time over the years, it wasn’t until I watched a few of these movies with my mom in her adult foster home that I watched some of the movies from beginning to end. I learned the formula well enough that I understood you could descent asleep in one movie and wake-up a few hours later and figure out where people were in the plot of another movie with little problem. Unlike people who look a lo