BuzzFeed Still
Hounding Chip and Joanna Gaines: ‘Fixer Upper’ Has Yet to Feature Same-Sex
Couple
by Daniel Nussbaum 2 Dec 2016
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.”
BuzzFeed
Kenneth B. Lerer
is the chairman for BuzzFeed, and an
advisory board member for Everytown for
Gun Safety.
Note: Everytown
for Gun Safety is a “Gun Safety,
Gun Control” group for guns.
Michael R.
Bloomberg is the founder of Everytown
for Gun Safety, Emma Bloomberg’s
father, was a benefactor for the Harlem
Children's Zone, a donor for the Robin
Hood Foundation, and an advocate for the ONE Campaign.
Foundation
to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Harlem Children's Zone, the Robin
Hood Foundation, and the International
Rescue Committee.
George Soros
was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society, and a
benefactor for the Harlem Children's
Zone.
Emma Bloomberg
was the chief of staff for the Robin
Hood Foundation, and is Michael R.
Bloomberg’s father.
Jeff
Zucker is a director emeritus at the Robin
Hood Foundation, and was the president & CEO for NBCUniversal.
NBCUniversal is
an investor in BuzzFeed.
Clifford S.
Asness was a leadership council member for the Robin Hood Foundation, supported same-sex marriage in New York, and is a director at the International Rescue Committee.
ONE Campaign is
a partner with the International Rescue
Committee.
Michael R.
Bloomberg was an advocate for the ONE
Campaign, a benefactor for the Harlem
Children's Zone, a donor for the Robin
Hood Foundation, is Emma Bloomberg’s
father, and the founder of Everytown for
Gun Safety.
Everytown
for Gun Safety is a “Gun Safety,
Gun Control” group for guns.
Kenneth B. Lerer
is an advisory board member for Everytown
for Gun Safety, and the chairman for BuzzFeed.
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