As Lizzo says, it’s about damn time.
Hallmark Channel’s largely white, only straight Christmas movie lineup has only in the last few years tiptoed around including LGBTQ characters in holiday movies.
The closest the channel came was “The Christmas House” in 2020, which featured “Mean Girls” star Jonathan Bennett as one half of Hallmark Channel’s first identified LGBTQ couple.
The storyline for Bennett and co-star Brad Harder was an afterthought in that movie and its sequel the following year.
The hype was much ado about nothing.
In 2022, Hallmark Channel promises that “The Holiday Sitter,” which also stars Bennett, center on an LGBTQ theme. Bennett will star alongside George Krissa.
In a synopsis, the channel said: “Sam is a workaholic bachelor who babysits his niece and nephew before the holidays when his sister and her husband have to go out of town. Completely out of his element, he recruits help from their handsome neighbor Jason and finds himself in an unexpected romance.”
It’s the only LGBTQ-related movie out of Hallmark Channel’s 40 holiday season movies.
It’s clear that the new GAC Family channel, which has former Hallmark Channel CEO Bill Abott at the helm, along with actress Candace Cameron Bure, won’t feature any LGBTQ storylines anytime soon.
Hopefully this is Hallmark’s big, but long delayed, chance to showcase movies that better reflect America.
“The Holiday Sitter” premiere’s at 8 p.m. Dec. 11 on Hallmark Channel.
See a full list of all of the new holiday season movies here.
It's Christmas 365 