Chip Gaines Defends The Writers Who Revealed His Church’s Anti-LGBTQ Beliefs

Chip Gaines hasn't made it clear exactly where he and his wife, Joanna Gaines, stand on same-sex marriage. The Fixer Upper stars have yet to release any statement on that subject, although their network HGTV quickly reassured the internet that they did not discriminate against the LGBTQ community. The Gaines couple is under scrutiny after a story last week revealed that their church, the Antioch Community Church, believes marriage should be between a man and a woman. But Gaines has asked for one thing: please be respectful of Buzzfeed writer Kate Aurthur and Cosmopolitan writer Gina Mei. As Us Weekly reports, he tweeted: "Regardless of our decision to make a statement about all this craziness, or not, I ask that people please! respect @KateAurthur & @ginamei."

Aurthur wrote the Buzzfeed story that catalyzed the maelstrom. As she reports, the Antioch Community Church states on its website, "Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime." The couple did not respond to Aurthur's request for comment. Mei, writing for Cosmopolitan a day later, noted that the Gaines' silence almost affirms that the two align with their church's beliefs. "While fans shouldn't necessarily jump to conclusions about what this might mean, for many people who watch the show, their silence speaks volumes," she writes. Both Mei and Aurthur have received criticism for their respective pieces. A Twitter user referred to Aurthur as an "Anti-Christian bigot" while another said to Mei, "What I am trying to say in very kind words, @ginamei is you're nothing but a slanderous blogger at best." Gaines's statement is a rare move in the world of journalism. Rarely does the subject have such empathy for the journalist, and for that, we should applaud Chip Gaines. However, this statement doesn't negate the fact that Chip and Joanna Gaines still have crucial questions to answer. Many of their fans count themselves among the LGBTQ community. At this point, it would seem the popularity of Fixer Upper hangs in the balance.