How dare she.
Candace Cameron Bure, of “Full House” and “Fuller House” fame, is speaking out about her desire to make Christmas movies that involve … wait for it … Christ.
But of course, just because the former Hallmark Christmas movie queen refused to bow the knee and pledge to make movies about LGBT couples, she’s now in a firestorm of a media controversy.
“Bigot. I don’t remember Jesus liking hypocrites like Candy. But sure. Make your money, honey. You ride that prejudice wave all the way to the bank,” tweeted “One Tree Hill” actress Hilarie Burton Morgan.
“Honestly, I can’t believe, after everything that went down just a few months ago, that she would not only create a movie with intention of excluding LGBTQIA+, but then also talk about it in the press,” wrote Jojo Siwa, who identifies as queer and became famous as a child star, alluding to a public dispute she had with Bure earlier this year. “This is rude and hurtful to a whole community of people.”
“It’s irresponsible and hurtful for Candace Cameron Bure to use tradition as a guise for exclusion,” Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of LGBT advocacy organization GLAAD, said in a statement.
Just to recap: Bure, who’s very public about her Christian faith, did not say anything negative about same-sex couples or same-sex marriage.
In the course of an interview with The Wall Street Journal that ran on Monday about her new role as chief creative officer at the Great American Family channel, she was asked whether she saw Great American Family prominently featuring same-sex couples.
“I think that Great American Family will keep traditional marriage at the core,” Bure told the Journal.
That’s it.
Since the firestorm began, Bure issued a long statement, saying, “I am a devoted Christian. Which means that I believe that every human being bears the image of God. Because of that, I am called to love all people, and I do.”
She added, “To everyone reading this, of any race, creed, sexuality, or political party, including those who have tried to bully me with name-calling, I love you. “
But don’t look for the criticism to die down, because in her statement, Bure still didn’t do what the activists demand; namely, pledge to make Christmas movies about LGBT couples.
Now to be clear, Hallmark has shifted in recent years, with its first Christmas movie featuring a gay couple being released in 2020. This year, the channel will air “The Holiday Sitter,” which is about a “workaholic bachelor” who finds love with his “handsome neighbor.”
In fact, there are plenty of LGBT Christmas movies available, as shown by articles such as Cosmopolitan’s “22 LGBT Holiday Movies to Make Your Spirits Bright This Season” and Vulture’s “The Best Queer Holiday Movies to Make the Yuletide Gay.”
Bure may be famous for her Christmas movies, but she hardly has a monopoly on treacly, cliché-ridden movies featuring endless wreaths and Santas.
But that’s not good enough.
One of the biggest arguments for the legalization of same-sex marriage was that it wouldn’t hurt anyone. Yet over and over again, instead of opting to live and let live, LGBT activists have sought to force Christians and other traditional marriage advocates to support and celebrate same-sex marriage and LGBT lifestyles.
Why?
Indeed, even this week, we’re seeing that radical activism. On Wednesday, the Senate voted to advance a same-sex marriage bill. While its proponents say it would simply codify the Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision into law, that’s simply not the case.
My colleague Roger Severino, vice president of domestic policy at The Heritage Foundation, said in a statement, “This bill provides no benefit or protection that same-sex couples don’t already have. All this bill does is target people of faith who don’t support woke ideology.” (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of The Heritage Foundation.)
Kristen Waggoner, CEO of the Alliance Defending Freedom, a group that has racked up significant Supreme Court victories in the defense of religious freedom, said in a statement, “Make no mistake, this bill will be used by officials and activists to punish and ruin those who do not share the government’s view on marriage.”
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who voted against advancing the bill and who proposed an amendment to offer religious liberty protections, said in a statement that the bill’s “religious liberty protections were severely anemic and largely illusory.” (Lee’s amendment failed.)
“Religious Americans will be subject to potentially ruinous litigation, while the tax-exempt status of certain charitable organizations, educational institutions, and nonprofits will be threatened,” the senator added.
And yet all 50 Democratic senators and 12 Republican senators voted to advance the bill.
Make no mistake: LGBT activists and their allies are fighting not merely for same-sex marriage or certain legal protections, but for cultural dominance and forced approval of the LGBT lifestyle.
This is no time to be naive about that.
The attacks against Bure aren’t just about her. They’re about every Christian and traditional marriage advocate who won’t celebrate same-sex romantic relationships. They’re sending a clear message: You can’t just agree to disagree on this issue.
And if you try to stand your ground, you’ll be punished—if not legally, culturally. You’ll face implications in the workplace. You’ll face ostracization.
It doesn’t matter if you avoid the issue except when directly asked. It doesn’t matter if you’re clear that you love and value LGBT people, that you just disagree with their decisions on sex.
All that matters is that you assent.
Bure just wants to make Christmas movies in peace. “My heart wants to tell stories that have more meaning and purpose and depth behind them,” Bure told The Wall Street Journal about her move to Great American Family.
“I knew that the people behind Great American Family were Christians that love the Lord and wanted to promote faith programming and good family entertainment,” she added.
And for that, Bure is being crucified. The message is clear: It’s 2022, and there’s no tolerance for anyone who values traditional marriage.
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