Buzzfeed Article Outrage Leads to HGTV Announcing ‘Fixer Upper’ Stars Will Work With Same-Sex Couples

Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Find Themselves at Center of Big Story

HGTV has announced that it does not discriminate against same-sex couples, and same-sex couples are welcome on all the network’s shows.

“We don’t discriminate against members of the LGBT community in any of our shows. HGTV is proud to have a crystal clear, consistent record of including people from all walks of life in its series,” an HGTV spokesperson told Buzzfeed via email Thursday afternoon.

That email was in response to an earlier Buzzfeed article, “Chip And Joanna Gaines’ Church Is Firmly Against Same-Sex Marriage,” in which writer Kate Arthur reports, “Their pastor considers homosexuality to be a ‘sin’ caused by abuse — whether the Fixer Upper couple agrees is unclear.”

It’s unclear why Buzzfeed targeted the “Fixer Upper” couple, but it’s pretty clear that had they investigated the houses of worship of every TV show’s stars who attend one, they would likely publish a similar story about each one.

The majority of Christian churches in America are, in fact, anti-gay, to varying degrees. 

Antioch Community Church, the Gaines’ church, is “a nondenominational, evangelical, mission-based megachurch,” according to Buzzfeed. And it’s disturbing that Pastor Jimmy Seibert “takes a hard line against same-sex marriage and promotes converting LGBT people into being straight,” as Buzzfeed reports.

That’s both dangerous and disgusting, but unless the Gaineses have discriminated against LGBT people, it’s unclear why Buzzfeed would run the story they did.

The real story is that churches in America are still anti-LGBT. Many actively advocate against LGBT people, believe homosexuality is a sin, and many even advocate for various types of reparative therapy, or “ex-gay” therapy, or other forms of sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE). 

To be clear, attempts to change someone’s sexual orientation are unacceptable, dangerous, and harmful. They are condemned by major medical organizations. And they are slowing being outlawed in several states, at least for minors. 

Fighting reparative therapy, or “ex-gay” therapy, wherever it is attempted, is what’s most important.

There’s a lot more to this – the religious right is attacking liberals for the story – stay tuned.

 

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