HGTV Responds To Chip And Joanna Gaines' Anti-gay Church Controversy

HGTV stars Chip and Joanna Gaines of “Fixer upper” made headlines this week — no longer for their home designs, however for his or her affiliation with a Texas church.

BuzzFeed posted a piece via reporter Kate Aurthur Tuesday about the Gaines’ affiliation with the Antioch community Church, a nondenominational, evangelical church located in Waco, Texas ― the equal metropolis in which the couple runs their Magnolia agencies. Aurthur’s article focuses on the reality that the church’s pastor, Jimmy Seibert, “takes a difficult line in opposition to identical-sex marriage and promotes converting LGBT humans into being instantly.” but she notes that “whether the ‘Fixer top’ couple concurs is unclear.”

Arthur includes rates from Seibert’s sermons about marriage being among a man and a girl, and the opportunity for conversion from identical-intercourse attraction. (the yankee psychological affiliation declared that conversion therapy isn't always best useless, however also “harmful,” again in 2009.)

even as BuzzFeed did not attain responses from both the Gaineses or HGTV, the network replied to The Huffington submit’s request for comment Thursday, announcing: “We don’t discriminate in opposition to contributors of the LGBT network in any of our shows. HGTV is proud to have a crystal clear, steady record of inclusive of people from all walks of existence in its collection.”

A consultant for the Gaineses became now not without delay to be had whilst contacted by using HuffPost.

BuzzFeed has on the grounds that acquired grievance for its put up from commenters and conservatives, with a few pronouncing the media outlet is targeting the Gaineses for their Christian religion and even dubbing the piece “risky.”