Posted on 11/09/2013 4:04:40 AM PST by IbJensen
Homosexual activists are peeved at the Hallmark greeting company over a Christmas ornament it is marketing that is conspicuous for its non-“gay” appearance. Each year Hallmark comes out with a set of holiday “keepsake” ornaments, and this year is no exception. But one has garnered worldwide attention — and possibly collector status — for what it omits. Hallmark's 2013 “Holiday Sweater” keepsake ornament (shown) is colorful and bright, and includes a stanza from the popular Christmas carol "Deck the Halls" that refers to donning “gay” apparel. But, instead of using the potentially offensive word “gay,” the folks at Hallmark decided to have the sweater ornament read, “Don we now our fun apparel,” and therein lies the complaint of some homosexuals.
The Associated Press reported that Hallmark was inundated with comments from gays and their supporters, some of whom “said they would never again buy Hallmark merchandise and that the change amounted to the company rewriting Christmas classics in the name of political correctness,” reported AP. “Others suggested removing the word 'gay' demonstrated a homophobic bias.”
One man wrote on Hallmark's Facebook page that “there is nothing wrong with the word ‘Gay.' It can mean fun, happy, excited, exuberant ... and it refers to gay people.... There’s nothing wrong with either! Bad Hallmark! Bad!” Another wrote that “our GAY family will [return] any Hallmark cards received.”
Mitch Levine of the Lesbian and Gay Community Center of Kansas City, where Hallmark is headquartered, quipped that the “whole thing seems silly to us. No one was offended by that in the song and the change was not necessary.”
A Hallmark spokesperson explained that the word on the ornament was intentionally changed to prevent any misinterpretation by shoppers. “When the lyrics to 'Deck the Halls' were translated from Gaelic and published in English back in the 1800s, the word 'gay' meant festive or merry,” said Hallmark's Kristi Ernsting, painfully explaining the obvious. “Today it has multiple meanings ... the trend of wearing festively decorated Christmas sweaters to parties is all about fun, and this ornament is intended to play into that, so the planning team decided to say what we meant: 'fun.'”
Huffington Post noted that Hallmark is not the first entity to face backlash for deleting the politically charged word from the popular holiday song. “In 2011, a music teacher at Michigan's Knoll Elementary School opted to replace 'gay apparel' with 'bright apparel' when first and second grade students kept giggling during preparations for a holiday concert,” reported the online news site. “Parents and fellow educators felt differently, however, and inundated the school's Facebook page with angry reactions.”
Similar angry reactions prompted Hallmark to release a mea culpa shortly after putting the harmless ornament on store shelves. “We've been surprised at the wide range of reactions expressed about the change of lyrics on this ornament, and we're sorry to have caused so much concern,” Hallmark said on October 31. “We never intend to offend or make political statements with our products and in hindsight, we realize we shouldn't have changed the lyrics on the ornament.”
But Peter LaBarbera of the Chicago-based Americans for Truth About Homosexuality felt differently, coming to the defense of the suddenly beleaguered greeting card company. “Who could blame Hallmark for changing the Christmas carol from 'Don we now our gay apparel' to 'Don we now our fun apparel' because homosexual activists stole the word 'gay,'” LaBarbera told One News Now. “It used to mean 'happy' and 'joyful' — and now it means, basically, identifying a sexual perversion: homosexuality. So I don't blame Hallmark for making this change.”
Noting that homosexual activists also “stole” the rainbow as their own symbol, LaBarbera said that “I don't believe we should let these words go, but it looks like 'gay' is too far gone. We're not going to let the rainbow be used solely as a homosexual symbol, so we're going to fight that.”
nearly 6000 years ago they were called "Sodomites" but that was not acceptable. Approximately 130 years ago they became known as "homosexuals". About 60 years ago they were called "queers" but that became unacceptable also. Over the last 30 years they decided they would hijack the word "gay" from the English language and use it for their cover name. It appears it was to hide their sexuality and falsely portray all homosexual people as continuously fun and happy. Now rather than allow the American language common definition to be modified they protest that a more modern name that can be used by all persuasions should not be used but only refer to their "nickname" at the exclusion of all others. So which one is the discrimination, a name that all can use or one that was hijacked for exclusive by a group of humans apparently insecure in their sexuality? Why must we all tip toe around what we are and just own up to reality? Wouldn't that be easier on all concerned?
They should have picked a different song. I can see how this would be hated by all sides, homosexual activists as well as collectors who tend to be traditionalists and don’t want their songs changed.
SHEESH! Don’t they have anything better to do? I am swamped with work all year around and it only gets worse in the 4th quarter. These people obviously have too much time on their hands. Why don’t they go volunteer at a food bank or something??
I think Hallmark was a little silly in that one.
“Don we now our fun apparel”?????
Wazzz up with that?????
While we are on the subject of Christmas. I want to know who this woman Carol Ling is and what’s she got to do with Christmas.
Queer is making a big comeback. It's now LGBTQ, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, and Queer.
what’d you expect from drama queens.
they hate the reason for the holiday anyhow
just ignore their hissy fits
To really piss off the faggots Hallmark should have changed it to ‘Don We Now Our Christmas Apparel’.
Who’d accept food from their aids-germ laden hands?
I’ve heard it rephrased “Don our holiday apparel” before, which is not quite as goofy sounding for those squeamish about the modern sense of the word “gay.” But, if someone is that unattuned to archaic English there will no doubt be questions as to just who “Don” might be.
When your cause has come down to such trivialities, it’s time to pack up and go home. Like the feminists yapping about the size of Barbie-doll’s breasts. Apparently there is not enough real discrimination to worry about, so they now have to seek insult in ornaments.
I thought the newest PC term was LGBTQPDQPHDBFDWAGFUBARBBQBLT.
I take deep offense at your including BBQ and BLT in your acronym!
Christmas is a decidedly Christian Holiday. It is a National Holiday that was adopted from the Christian traditions when we were yet One Nation Under God Indivisible —and a Christian Nation. (See The United States :A Christian Nation by David Brewer,1905—the book by the author of the Unanimous US Supreme Court decision Church of the Holy Trinity v. the United States,Feb.1892 decided upheld by Judicial Review in 1931 Us v. Macintosh —declared the controlling legal precedent in 1991 Chapman v. the United States. Now as a Christian I can cite several verses in the Holy Writ that seem to offend the Reprobate Homosexuals. As an American Patriot I can cite several laws that were accepted as legal and binding when we were yet One Nation Under God Indivisible and a Christian Nation that seem to offend the Sodomite and the rulers of Sodom. But I weary of American Leaders who do NOT rule in Fear of God who have already been “captured” by the Militant homosexual ( See Steve Warren — Warning to the Homophobes ,The Advocate Sept.1987) Problem is I was merely 10 years out of Military service in 1987. I was born by God’s Grace— a white male—to two heterosexual parents who remained “legally Married “until death did them part. I enlisted int he US Army a healthy, white, Christian Male,My birth ,sex,and Race I had no control over.My general health was maintained by diet and exercise but generally more a gift of my Creator ,God -than any other factor. I was honorably discharged in Jan.1977 Medically diagnosed as having manifested a seizure disorder ,while on active duty—and what the US Army called situational reaction in keeping with the mission of the US Army Medical Dept. The VA reclassified as Manic Depressive/Bi-polar. Despite my medical profile I am otherwise a healthy,white,Christian ,Male. trained as Patriot by the US Army Trained as Christian by the standards reflected in the Sacred Writ. I am NOT ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As a Patriot I am deeply offended by the REPROBATE now controlling our Government. I find it would be amusing and dismissed by any reasonable corporation that the Sodomites are offended that Hallmark has not included a queer themed ornament.It is merely an attempt to make us all as Sodom and like unto Gomorrah.And I am confined by a Code taken as my own in the summer of 1969 —”....I will NEVER surrender of my own free will...I will trust in My God ( Not Allah,Vishnu,Harvey Milk,Steve Warren ,Barack Hussein Obama nor any other false god,nor Despotic Ruler) and in the United States of America( “We the People”....not the corrupted and hostile —already captured liberal establishment nor the press nor the Government now empowered by them) “ I bow to no king but King Jesus. I am an American.
I'd like to believe this is simply a case of making a mountain out of a molehill....trivial nonsense as you well stated...
I don't think it is, it's more of making every company, marketing, business decision though the lens of homosexual PC as to not offend the sodomite class of perverts...
These people are offended at something the company DID NOT do...so it will serve as notice that all things GAY are to be included in all future business decisions...
It's an agenda...
♪ ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♫
Glory Holes are Oh so jolly
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Uncle John is now Aunt Molly
Fa la la la la, la la la la.Don we now our queer apparel,
Fa la la, la la la, la la la.
Assless chaps for Uncle Harold
Fa la la la la, la la la la.See the naked jewels before you,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Trolling Castro that's just normal
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
“Like the feminists yapping about the size of Barbie-doll’s breasts”
LOL!
They should be volunteering at a food bank too. Then they will see sizes of breasts and hips and rear ends they could not imagine. HA!
The Q stands for “questioning”.
Geez...that’s what Sharpies are for.
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