Same-sex marriage made a huge impact on the headlines after the former president Barack Obama approved the bill to legalize the union. Several publications then backfired on the announcement and one of the biggest children's magazine, Highlights was slammed after it was reported that the publication displayed homophobic content on one of their issues.
Highlights defended their publication wherein they mentioned that they main goal is to release contents that are ideal for children. Christine French Cully, the magazine's editor in chief, mentioned that their contents are solely focused on what's ideal for the children.
"We did expect and received a backlash when we committed to becoming more fully reflective to all the different kinds of families out there," Cully stated. "We expect this will make some people unhappy. Our focus remains on creating the best possible content for children."
After the backlash that the publication went through, Washington Post announced that Highlights is bound to release their first issue, which features an image of the same sex couple. The publication first made the headlines after a Facebook post from Kristina Wertz, who is an LGBT activist, went viral.
Wertz vented her disappointment after she mentioned that the magazine's content lacks diversity, especially when it comes to the LGBT parents. The publication was then quick to respond wherein it stated that the topic of same-sex marriage is still a raw deal, especially when it comes to featuring it on one of their issues.
"For much of our readership, the topic of same-sex families is still new, and parents are still learning how to approach the subject with their children, even the very little ones," the publication stated in response to the homophobic complaints thrown at their direction. "We believe that parents know best when their family is ready to open conversation around the topic of same-sex families."
