Gazette.Net reports: Infidelity Cards Under Fire
by Stephanie Siegel
Staff Writer
May 25, 2005
See related story: Love notes for that ‘other’ special someone
Readers sound off on sentiment, business
An article last week about a Bethesda woman who created a line of greeting cards designed for people involved in affairs elicited numerous responses from readers who found the idea objectionable.
“I was really shocked about the infidelity cards,” said Bethesda resident Lola Gimmel. “I don’t agree with this sort of thing and I just felt it was shocking.”
Cathy Gallagher created the line of cards and launched her company, The Secret Lover Collection, at the National Stationery Show last week in New York. The story ran on May 18 in The Gazette, headlined “Love notes for that ‘other’ special someone.”
People in the card industry said the idea is unique and marketable, but a number of The Gazette readers and others who work with couples dealing with marital infidelity said there’s no place in society for such a product.
“We don’t see Hallmark cards about abuse or alcoholism or addiction,” said Joanna Bare, chairwoman of the board of directors of the local chapter of Save Your Marriage Central, a national organization that helps couples who are dealing with infidelity. Bare, a Bethesda resident, e-mailed The Gazette after reading the story.
Like abuse or addiction, affairs cause havoc in marriages, Bare said. Cards for people in affairs romanticize such relationships and ignore the harmful aspects of them.