XPost: rec.scouting.usa, alt.politics.homosexuality, alt.california
XPost: sac.politics
BuzzFeed has not let up on Christian TV stars Chip and Joanna
Gaines, with reporter Kate Aurthur implicitly warning the hosts
of HGTV’s Fixer Upper that they will receive more bad press
unless the show features a same-sex couple.
On Thursday, the site posted a statement from HGTV affirming the
network’s policy of LGBT inclusion; the network was responding
to a Tuesday article from Aurthur implying that the Christian
hosts might discriminate against gay couples.
“We don’t discriminate against members of the LGBT community in
any of our shows,” the network said in a statement. “HGTV is
proud to have a crystal clear, consistent record of including
people from all walks of life in its series.”
That wasn’t enough for Aurthur, who made a point of noting that
Fixer Upper has not yet included a gay couple in each of its
first three seasons:
“When pressed about same-sex couples being welcome on Fixer
Upper in particular, the representative for HGTV highlighted the
phrase “in any of our shows.” The series, which just launched
its fourth season, has yet to do so.”
Aurthur appears to insinuate that HGTV is anti-LGBT even after
acknowledging in her previous article that two other popular
programs on the network, Property Brothers and House Hunters,
have featured gay couples in the past. The absence of gay
couples on Fixer Upper is apparently enough evidence for
BuzzFeed to suggest that the show, the couple and the network
are all anti-gay bigots.
Aurthur’s second story on the Gaineses also claims that the
first article “sparked a firestorm of criticism from Christians
who argued that people who oppose same-sex marriage and LGBT
rights are persecuted by the media.”
But most of the criticism of the first article came not just
from Christians, but also from BuzzFeed’s own readers and from
many of Aurthur’s peers in the media. As one BuzzFeed reader
wrote in response to the first article: “This is a tired, forced
witch hunt. You are inciting a wave of negative attention on
this couple for something that indirectly links to them. That’s
not journalism, it’s petty bullsh*t.”
BuzzFeed editor Ben Smith’s weak response to the original
article on his Twitter account was similarly challenged by
journalists from the Daily Beast and Business Insider.
Aurthur’s original story reported that Chip and Joanna Gaines
attend a church in their hometown of Waco, Texas whose founder,
pastor Jimmy Seibert, believes in traditional marriage.
In response to the story, Pastor Seibert told Fox News’ Todd
Starnes that his Antioch Community Church is “absolutely not”
anti-gay.
“We are not only not anti-gay, but we are pro-helping people in
their journey to find out who God is and who He has made them to
be,” he said. “For us – our heart has always been to love Jesus,
preach the word of God and help people in their journey.”
http://www.breitbart.com/big-hollywood/2016/12/02/buzzfeed-still- hounding-chip-joanna-gaines-fixer-upper-yet-feature-sex-couple/
Note to Pastor Seibert, suggest you do not turn the other cheek
in this case. Contact a lawyer and sue these dirtbags for libel
and slander. The fastest way to shut up a liberal is make them
responsible for what comes out of their mouths.
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