Hallmark made history with the first ever LGBTQ+ couple to share a kiss on a Hallmark Channel original series. Good Witch stars Katherine Barrell and Kyana Teresa, who portray Joy and Zoey respectively, shared a kiss in season 7 episode 10, marking Hallmark’s first overt display of same-sex sexuality in an original series.
Hallmark have notoriously received backlash in the past for their lack of LGBTQ+ visibility. The whole network was critiqued for removing a television advert with two brides kissing after conservative group, One Million Moms, fought for Hallmark not to air advertisements with same-sex couples. The network was globally attacked online by LGBTQ+ members and allies, even more so when a Hallmark spokesperson claimed the removal was due to a violation of policies, despite several other heterosexual wedding adverts going ahead. The network eventually reversed their decision, but the brand had already been labeled homophobic. Now, they appear to be trying to make amends with Good Witch's new same-sex couple.
The stars of Good Witch, Kyana Teresa and Katherine Barrell, took to Twitter to share their appreciation for the amount of support they’ve been receiving since the episode aired, as well as praise one another for their portrayal in the pairing. Teresa added appropriate emojis to the end of her tweet – the LGBTQ+ flag, a sparkling pink heart, and a purple heart – to show her allyship with the community. Barrell, who has also been involved in the portrayal of a same-sex relationship in Wynonna Earp, thanked their followers and applauded her co-star for her love and positivity. Check out Teresa and Barrell’s posts, below:
Teresa and Barrell’s posts are indicative of the struggle actors and LGBTQ+ individuals have gone through to be represented equally in the media. Their love and praise for each other shows how proud they are of one another for choosing love in an industry that primarily supports and advocates heteronormativity. Teresa thanks everyone involved in rallying for the representation to be shown, which, though masked as generous gratitude, is a sad reminder that this sort of relationship is rarely worked into story arcs, particularly so for Hallmark romances.
The response from fans was immense, with many people flooding Twitter to showcase their pride and joy that Hallmark, a channel with a past homophobic branding, defied conservative critics to incorporate a same-sex romance into one of their series. Though a same-sex kiss occurred in the 2020 Hallmark original movie, The Christmas House, Good Witch is the first instance in a television series. This is a small step toward securing a more equal and diverse media portfolio, which is a vital goal, as LGBTQ+ individuals are often rejected in the industry. Commonly, even movies that depict gay relationships the roles are played by actors who identify as heterosexual (Chalamet and Hammer in Call Me By Your Name, for example), indicating the industry’s reluctance to directly support gay individuals by granting them authentic roles. Likewise, some LGBTQ+ actors are given strictly heterosexual roles, like Andrew Scott as The Priest in Fleabag. These revelations prove that, despite the mostly successful response to Hallmark’s television series, the industry in general still has a way to go in supporting and representing authentic LGBTQ+ characters.
Source: Kyana Teresa, Catherine Barrell