Highlights magazine, that staple of pediatric waiting rooms everywhere, is jumping headfirst into the culture wars. The magazine, intended for children getting their first exposure to the written word, has confirmed that they will begin depicting same-sex couples after being pressured by homosexuals demanding equal representation.

The subject first became an issue for the periodical back in October when a lesbian couple took aim at the magazine’s sister publication, Hello.

“One of the reasons we appreciate Hello is the diversity represented – families of all races, interracial families, and grandparents,” wrote Kristina Wertz in a post to the Highlights magazine Facebook page.

Wertz and her partner, Kara Desiderio, said their 13-month-old daughter was a big fan of the magazine. “We are consistently disappointed, however, in the complete lack of same-sex parents in Hello magazine,” she wrote. “I think a lot about the things that create culture — the subtle and not so subtle messages that our kids get about how the world works. Since becoming a parent, I feel keenly aware of the messages kids’ books send to tiny minds.”

Wertz asked the magazine to incorporate same-sex couples and families to “positively reflect back the diversity of the world around us.”

Initially, Highlights’ editors explained that they were in so rush to turn off subscribers with unnecessary controversy.

“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,” wrote an editor. “We believe that parents know best when their family is ready to open conversation around the topic of same-sex families.”

Ten years ago, the overwhelming majority of Americans would view this as an appropriate response. Hell, maybe even five years ago. But not today. With that response, the magazine invited the very controversy it was hoping to avoid as the LGBT army began attacking them for their stance.

“This is the most conservative and inappropriate response,” said one SJW soldier on Facebook. “Parents know best when to raise the concept that there are lots of types of families?! We aren’t an illegal drug. Queer families are families.”

Fearing a backlash that might spin out of control, Highlights released a statement within days apologizing for the first response.

“We want to reiterate that we believe all families matter. We know that there are many ways to build a family, and that love is the essential ‘ingredient,’” read the statement. “This conversation has helped us see that we can be more reflective of all kinds of families in our publications, we are committed to doing so as we plan future issues.”

This mushy-middle response did not quell the LGBT anger, but it did manage to irritate conservative subscribers who saw the writing on the wall. One subscriber wrote repeatedly to the company asking them to explain in detail how they intended to “be more reflective” of same-sex couples. Frustrated by the lack of a straight answer, she canceled her subscription. At that point, she finally got a response from Highlights editor Christine Cully, which she promptly sent to The American Conservative for open publication. Here’s the relevant excerpt:

“When we show families in the magazines, we make it a point to include diversity,” Cully wrote. “We strive to be diverse in every way. The goal, however, is not to specifically call attention to diversity but instead to help kids understand that while differences exist, we are all actually more alike than different. For instance, from time to time we show families headed up by a grandparent or single parents. We show adoptive families, blended families, multi-generational families, and multi-racial families. In the future, we will depict same-sex families in our magazines in a manner consistent to the way all diverse families are depicted. This is in support of our mission to help children become their best selves and understand that all families, including theirs, are important.”

So there you have it. One lesbian letter and a handful of social justice warriors on Facebook was all it took to make Highlights magazine yet another outlet for left-wing propaganda.

As that original lesbian letter pointed out, the books our children read have an enormous impact on their developing worldview. Conservative parents, beware. When you can’t even trust a magazine as seemingly-harmless as Highlights, you can’t trust anything.

Make sure you know what messages your kids are getting.



