Hmm . . . It looks like the Grinch is on the move again . . .
Hallmark apologized last week for removing the word “gay” — and replacing it with “fun” — from a line in the Christmas carol Deck the Halls on one of its ornaments (a Holiday Sweater ornament) because of its homosexual connotations, several outlets reported, including Gaystar News. It seems the company was just trying to be politically correct, thinking the word “gay” in this case could be taken the wrong way. But it encountered a backlash from LGBT folks and traditionalists, so has apologized and said the word shouldn’t have been changed. But they continue to sell the controversial ornament, according to Gaystar News . . .
The report also mentions that Hallmark has a solid reputation as being an LGBT-friendly business, so chalk this up to trying too hard to please everyone . . . and forgive, yes?
Jillian
Jillian Page 
It’s selling for 63.20 US$ on ebay right now. What a perfect gift for a gay friend. Hallmark makes a faux pas and profits handsomely. Good marketing.
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Wow . . . that is expensive.
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How stupid. To cater to ignorance of the English language and its historical usage out of fear of being politically incorrect! ‘Gay’ has meant gay far longer than it has casually been used to refer to a particular segment of the population.
We had a Professor here at the University of Wisconsin that had to defend his (good) reputation and job because a semi-literate student filed a complaint about his use of ‘niggardly’ in a lecture. Please, those who don’t know English shouldn’t be taking college-level English Lit classes, and this should have been a no-brainer!
Might not the ‘gay apparel’ incident (‘incident’!??), had anyone taken exception (unlikely) have been an opportunity to educate the ignorant about the evolution of our language rather than to tuck tail between legs for the sake of corporate image and profit?
Shall we now edit all pre-1970’s literature to exclude the term ‘queer’ as it has been used since the 1500’s? No more fairies in fairy tales either! And that Dutch kid who stuck his finger in a dyke? OMG! That’s also a term for a particular type of pliers!
As it is, we have to be careful about how we refer to our pet cats… ‘Sucks’ is in common usage now; remember what it USED to mean? Wrong, it comes from ‘sucks raw green eggs’! ‘Eating out’ used to mean going to a restaurant.
Silly stuff, and getting upset over it is far more divisive than laughing at the changes in our vernacular and accepting that things DO change. As society has.
We all need to relax a bit and cut some slack; to find offense when none is intended is foolish and serves merely to enforce stereotypes of self-righteous paranoia. Hallmark shot itself in the foot by assuming offense where no sane person would find it.
We had a short street here in town named after one of our founders, as all streets in that neighborhood are. Located in perhaps the most ‘liberal’ part of one of America’s most liberal cities, the locals had it renamed a few years ago because they were concerned that ‘Gay Lane’ might give the wrong impression. *Sigh*…
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I personally can’t believe people are so afraid of the word “gay” that they feel the need to change the lyrics of a completely innocent Christmas carol. The problem is with the people, not the song. This reminds me so much of the “dolphins / lovers” picture (Google it). In a nutshell, it’s an image that, when looked at by an adult, appears to portray two lovers in embrace; however the same image also portrays two swimming dolphins which young children (who have not been yet exposed to sex) immediately will see when presented with the picture. Young children do not see the lovers at all. It’s a bit like the “vase or two faces” subjective image (again, Google it if you’re not familiar). Yes, the entire to-do about the word “gay” in the Christmas carol is much the same. Those who are opposed to donning “gay apparel” are only exhibiting which portion of the image they themselves see. It is a reflection of THEM.
I personally will always continue to don my gay apparel. I am not going to change the quaint, innocent lyrics of a classic Christmas carol. The Christmas carol is sweet as it stands!
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Sorry my last comment said the dolphins / lovers picture portayed “two swimming dolphins” – in reality (correction) I think it portrays nine or more dolphins. You get the meaning, though.
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