“It was never a question of if,” says editor Christine French Cully, “it was always a question of when.”
In October, a lesbian couple contacted Highlights, asking the long-running children’s magazine why it had never depicted same-sex families.
Editors told Kristina Wertz and Kara Desiderio, moms to a 1-year-old daughter, that “parents are still learning how to approach the subject” of LGBT families, and that they felt it should be dealt with at home, not in the pages of the magazine.
Editors told Kristina Wertz and Kara Desiderio, moms to a 1-year-old daughter, that “parents are still learning how to approach the subject” of LGBT families, and that they felt it should be dealt with at home, not in the pages of the magazine.
As you can guess, that didn’t exactly tickle Wertz and Desiderio—or
many other families, gay and straight, who cried foul over the
exclusionary policy.
Now the magazine has announced it will include an illustration of a same-sex couple in its February issue, a first for the 70-year-old mag.
A call for letters features two men loading a station wagon for a trip with their children. “Has your family ever taken a memorable family trip?” the accompanying text reads. “Tell us where you went and what you liked about it.”
Before today’s news, the magazine confirmed it would be working to include same-sex families in the near future.
“Whether incorporating families headed up by a grandparent or single parent, or including adoptive families, blended families, same-sex families, multi-generational families, and multi-racial families, our depiction of families is in support of our mission to help children become their best selves and understand that all families, including theirs, are important,” the publication said in a statement.
Not surprisingly, One Million Moms criticized the magazine for “caving into pressure from homosexual activists,” and insisted subscribers should be warned in advance. “This would be a deal breaker for conservative families.”
Highlights editor in chief Christine French Cully said she expected the inclusive illustration would make some people unhappy, but says “our focus remains on creating the best possible content for children.”
Read more articles from NEW NOW NEXT, here.
Now the magazine has announced it will include an illustration of a same-sex couple in its February issue, a first for the 70-year-old mag.
A call for letters features two men loading a station wagon for a trip with their children. “Has your family ever taken a memorable family trip?” the accompanying text reads. “Tell us where you went and what you liked about it.”
Before today’s news, the magazine confirmed it would be working to include same-sex families in the near future.
“Whether incorporating families headed up by a grandparent or single parent, or including adoptive families, blended families, same-sex families, multi-generational families, and multi-racial families, our depiction of families is in support of our mission to help children become their best selves and understand that all families, including theirs, are important,” the publication said in a statement.
Not surprisingly, One Million Moms criticized the magazine for “caving into pressure from homosexual activists,” and insisted subscribers should be warned in advance. “This would be a deal breaker for conservative families.”
Highlights editor in chief Christine French Cully said she expected the inclusive illustration would make some people unhappy, but says “our focus remains on creating the best possible content for children.”
Read more articles from NEW NOW NEXT, here.
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