GLAAD reacts to Candace Cameron Bure’s same-sex marriage comments

A growing number of celebrities are speaking out against "Full House" star Candace Cameron Bure's plans to focus on "traditional marriage" in Christmas movies on her new network, Great American Family.

GLAAD, the LGBTQ advocacy group formerly known as the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, has joined the calls and invited Bure to a conversation with Sarah Kate Ellis, its president and CEO.

"It’s irresponsible and hurtful for Candace Cameron Bure to use tradition as a guise for exclusion," Ellis said in a statement to TODAY. "I’d love to have a conversation with Bure about my wife, our kids, and our family’s traditions. Bure is out of sync with a growing majority of people of faith, including LGBTQ people of faith, who know that LGBTQ couples and families are deserving of love and visibility."

Bure, 46, left the Hallmark Channel after starring in dozens of films to become the chief creative officer at Great American Family. Ellis said that Bure's comments are "harmful and insulting" to the company's LGBTQ employees, as well as employees with LGBTQ friends and family.

"If GAF’s plan is to intentionally exclude stories about LGBTQ couples, then actors, advertisers, cable and streaming platforms, and production companies should take note and seriously consider whether they want to be associated with a network that holds exclusion as one of its values," Ellis said.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal published Nov. 14, Bure was asked if she expects Great American Family to feature same-sex leads in holiday movies.

"I think that Great American Family will keep traditional marriage at the core," she said.

After 14 years with the Hallmark Channel, Bure left the network in April. Her first holiday movie for Great American Family, titled "A Christmas… Present," premieres later this month.

"My heart wants to tell stories that have more meaning and purpose and depth behind them,” she told the Journal. “I knew that the people behind Great American Family were Christians that love the Lord and wanted to promote faith programming and good family entertainment."

Jojo Siwa, 19, responded to Bure's comments in an Instagram post on Nov. 15.

"Honestly, I can’t believe after everything that went down just a few months ago, that she would not only create a movie with intention of excluding LGBTQIA+, but then also talk about it in the press," Siwa said.

"This is rude and hurtful to a whole community of people," she continued.

Bure's "Full House" co-star Jodie Sweetin commented on Siwa's post, writing, "You know I love you."

Siwa's "Dance Moms" co-star Maddie Ziegler also commented, saying, "Go off jojo!!!!!!!"

Siwa and Bure previously make headlines earlier this year after Siwa posted a TikTok video revealing the "rudest" celebrity she's ever met. In the video, Siwa held up her phone to show a photo of Bure.

Bure cleared the air in the days following the video, saying she had spoken with Siwa and had a "great conversation." Bure said that the first time Siwa had met her, she had asked for a photo and Bure responded "not right now." Siwa told her that Bure then continued down the red carpet, snapping photos with other people.

Bure said she apologized to Siwa on the phone and that, at the time, everything was "good on the JoJo front."

This article was originally published on TODAY.com