Hail Hallmark

As we know, most states don't recognize gay marriage but now Hallmark does. The nation's largest greeting card company is rolling out same-sex wedding cards featuring two tuxedos, overlapping hearts or intertwined flowers, with best wishes inside.

Hallmark added the cards after California joined Massachusetts as the only U.S. states with legal gay marriage. A handful of other states have recognized same-sex civil unions. The language inside the cards is neutral, with no mention of weddings or marriage, making them also suitable for a commitment ceremony. Hallmark says the move is a response to consumer demand, not any political pressure. “It’s our goal to be as relevant as possible to as many people as we can," Hallmark spokeswoman Sarah Gronberg Kolell said.

Hallmark's largest competitor, American Greetings Corp., says that it has no plans to enter the market and that its current offerings are general enough to speak to a lot of different relationships. Ain't that something!! What are they afraid of?

The Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law estimates that more than 85,000 same-sex couples in the United States have entered into a legal relationship since 1997, when Hawaii started offering some legal benefits to same-sex partners. Nearly 120,000 more couples will marry in California during the next three years; and that means millions of potential dollars for all sorts of wedding-industry businesses.

At any given time, Hallmark has 200 wedding cards on the market, including some catering to interracial or inter-religious marriages and blended families.



The Greeting Card Association, a trade group, says it does not track how many companies provide same-sex cards but believes the number is expanding. “The fact that you have someone like Hallmark going into that niche shows it's growing and signals a trend," said Barbara Miller, a spokeswoman for the association.



John Stark, one of the three founders of Three Way Design in Boston, which makes gay-themed cards for occasions including adoptions and weddings, has several new designs sketched out and ready. But he has hesitated to add more wedding cards to his mix until after the November election, when California voters will decide on a constitutional amendment that would again limit marriage to a man and a woman in the state. “What is scary is to produce a marriage line and then November comes and it's recalled; then we have thousands of dollars of inventory waiting," he said. The gay-friendly business can be challenging, firms said. Hamm said that although she had found many vendors willing to work with her company, some asked to be removed from the website because of hate mail or other backlash. Hallmark says all of its stores can choose whether they want to add the latest offerings.

Let's hope the California voters do the right thing come next month.