Actor Jonathan Bennett has told Newsweek that LGBTQ acceptance has been “sliding back” recently following years of progress.
A heightened focus on LGBTQ rights has been seen in both major parties’ platforms as the U.S. marches closer to November’s election. Republican nominee and former president Donald Trump will face off against Democrat Kamala Harris, who is nearing the end her first term as vice president.
The Republican Party has pledged to cut federal funding for gender-affirming care and restrict transgender students’ participation in sports. In contrast, the Democratic Party has promised to outlaw discrimination against LGBTQ people, including passing the Equality Act, which would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in housing, health care and public accommodations.
Mean Girls star Bennett, who has been dubbed the “Gay King of Christmas” thanks to his projects with Hallmark Media, has reacted to the tone of some of the conversations surrounding LGBTQ rights and acceptance in the U.S.
“We did so good, and we swung so hard, and we got really close to where we wanted to be,” he told Newsweek. “And then it started sliding back in a way, you know what I mean? Like, it was very bizarre.”
Bennett—whose collection of film projects includes 2022’s The Holiday Sitter, the first LGBTQ-led Hallmark Christmas movie—takes pride in his projects centering and humanizing gay characters.
The actor said that he works on projects that “tell specifically queer stories to a broad audience… I think the storytelling has the power to change people’s hearts and minds. Like, literally. So I think when the viewers are watching, they can identify with who these characters are as humans and relate to them.
“And then maybe it’s someone that’s watching that might not know a gay person in their life, or not realize they know a gay person in their life, and so they might feel a certain kind of way towards the queer community, until they watch these movies and able to identify with what the humanity of each of these characters are.”
‘Telling Queer Stories’
“I realized after I did the first Christmas House on Hallmark, that my purpose on this earth and my job was to tell queer stories to a broad audience,” he added. “That’s a very specific thing. I tell queer stories to a broad audience. I don’t tell queer stories to just a queer audience, which is a different type of storytelling. I tell it in a way that puts the humanity of the character at the forefront and puts the relatability character at the forefront.
“Those are the things that help change the hearts and minds of people watching.. I wish I wasn’t having to do that work in 2024, but unfortunately, we are. And, you know, I always say, if you watch RuPaul’s Drag Race, then we already got you, you’re already on our side. That’s not the demo I’m going after. I’m going to people that don’t.”
Bennett’s efforts have seen the launch of his latest project, The Groomsmen trilogy. Marking the first time Hallmark will feature a gay wedding as the lead storyline, films will follow the “lives and romantic relationships of three best friends of different backgrounds, cultures and sexual orientations,” per an official synopsis.
“I had this idea for, like, Hallmark’s version of, The Hangover and have a trilogy of movies where you follow three guys through all of their different weddings and bachelor parties and what it really means to be like a groomsman to a group of friends,” Bennett said.
“I had just gotten married and had groomsmen in my wedding, and I was a groomsman in five or six of my friends weddings over the past like 10 years. So I thought there was a really interesting story and dynamic to share—the guys’ side of the wedding process.”
The films will air on Hallmark+ weekly, with The Groomsmen: First Look debuting on October 17. The follow-ups, The Groomsmen: Second Chances and The Groomsmen: The Last Dance are set to hit screens on October 24 and October 31, respectively.
Inclusive Casting
Bennett is also gearing up for the October 31 launch of Finding Mr. Christmas, billed as Hallmark’s first ever reality TV contest. The show, which Bennett has co-created and will host, will follow 10 aspiring actors battling it out for a starring role in the Hallmark Channel’s upcoming holiday movie Happy Howlidays.
The competition will see the actors complete an array of holiday-themed challenges that will give viewers an insight into just how good of a Hallmark leading man they will be. For Bennett, it was also important to be inclusive.
“We’re so proud of the contestants on Finding Mr. Christmas,” he said. “We have queer contestants, we have contestants from everywhere. So it’s like showing you that anyone can be a Hallmark leading man. It’s like there’s no rules.
“You have to you have the traits that we look for in a Hallmark star, like why do we keep going back to the network to watch the stars over and over again? Well, because they have the qualities that we love. They have a sense of humor, they have a really quick wit. They’re kind. They have a great smile.
“Of course, they’ve got to look good in a Christmas sweater, right? But they also have a whole lot of heart. And that heart shines through when [you see] that little twinkle, that little X factor that you can’t really explain, but you know when you see it.”
The Groomsmen trilogy is scheduled to debut on Hallmark+ on October 17. Finding Mr. Christmas, which is set to premiere with two episodes on October 31, will also air on Hallmark+.
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