Idaho Fundies Reject Hallmark's Same-Sex Cards

True to form, Christianist business owners in some areas - including those in one area of Idaho, home of toe-tapping gay sex cruiser Senator Larry Craig - are rebuffing Hallmark's effort to reach out and meet the needs of a lucrative consumer market niche. While Idaho offers amazing natural beauty, personally, I would never spend money visiting an area that is strongly anti-gay. It's bad enough living in a backwards area. Why would I want to visit one that's even worse in terms of intolerance? I hope LGBT citizens will vote with their wallets and avoid Idaho like the plague. Here are some highlights from KBCI-TV in Boise, Idaho:

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NAMPA (AP) - A manager says seven Hallmark greeting card stores in the Treasure Valley will not carry the company's new same-sex marriage cards.Cassi Jacobsen, an assistant manager for the Jordan's Hallmark store in Nampa's Karcher Mall, says the family that owns the seven area stores has decided against carrying the new line of greeting cards. She said the owners were out of town and not immediately available for comment.

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Reaction to the cards has been mixed. Idaho Family Values Alliance Executive Director Bryan Fischer sent out a press release Thursday calling for local-area Hallmark stores not to carry the cards. But Delmar Stone of Nampa, executive director of the National Association of Social Workers Idaho Chapter, called the cards "wonderful."Jody May-Chang, the Boise editor of the gay rights Web site PrideDEPOT.com, called the decision a bullying tactic.

AFA Spreading Lies in Wake of Release of Hallmark Gay Marriager Cards

Wow, it took Don Wildmon and the wingers at American Family Association almost no time to go ballistic over Hallmark Greeting Cards' introduction of gay marriage cards to it line of offerings. I expected it to take a week or two, not a matter of days. All too typically, Wildmon is not accurate in the fear mongering information released to his lemming like followers:

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We've all given or received Hallmark Cards – remember their slogan – "when you care enough to send the very best." But promoting same-sex marriage for profit is not the very best for families or our nation.

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Hallmark is a private company obviously driven by greed. Let them know you do not appreciate Hallmark promoting a lifestyle which is illegal in 48 states. American Greeting Cards, Hallmark's competitor, does not offer same-sex marriage cards.

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I'm not sure where the "lifestyle which is illegal in 48 states" comes from. The sodomy laws were struck down nation wide by the ruling in Lawrence v. Texas, and a number of states have civil unions besides the two states that now allow full marriage rights to same-sex couples. Or maybe Wildmon is only voicing wishful thinking on his part since he advocates re-enacting the sodomy laws.

Hallmark to Sell Gay Marriage Cards

No doubt the virulently anti-gay American Family Association will be announcing a boycott against Hallmark as soon as Don Wildmon ceases his convulsions on the floor over the news being reported by Yahoo News that Hallmark will be releasing gay marriage cards among its offerings. As I have noted many times before, the true agenda of the Christianists is to try to force gays to disappear from sight and slink back into the closet. Meanwhile, big business recognizes that the clock is not going to be turned back to the 1950's and companies are taking steps to secure a slice of the huge LGBT consumer market. Here are some story highlights:

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PORTLAND, Ore. – Most states don't recognize gay marriage — but now Hallmark does. The nation's largest greeting card company is rolling out same-sex wedding cards — featuring two tuxedos, overlapping hearts or intertwined flowers, with best wishes inside. "Two hearts. One promise," one says.

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Hallmark added the cards after California joined Massachusetts as the only U.S. states with legal gay marriage. A handful of other states have recognized same-sex civil unions. The language inside the cards is neutral, with no mention of wedding or marriage, making them also suitable for a commitment ceremony. Hallmark says the move is a response to consumer demand, not any political pressure.

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Hallmark's largest competitor, American Greetings Corp., has no plans to enter the market, saying its current offerings are general enough to speak to a lot of different relationships.

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Hallmark started offering "coming out" cards last year, and the four designs of same-sex marriage cards are being gradually released this summer and will be widely available by next year. No sales figures were available yet.