KANSAS CITY, MO — Fans of Hallmark cards have long known that they are a good option when the “care enough to send the very best” to celebrate key events in the lives of their heterosexual friends, but it’s not always been as easy when the subject is specifically same-sex. In a move that some may say is a sign of the Apocalypse, Hallmark has decided to officially enter the GLBT market.“It’s our goal to be as relevant as possible to as many people as we can,” CityNews.ca quotes company representative, Sarah Gronberg Kollel as assuring.

The nearly 100-year-old company has apparently been paying attention to social trends and has realized that, as same-sex marriage becomes increasingly legal throughout the world its marketplace fallout is under-served and eager to show its support.

Gradually introduced throughout this summer, the cards are expected to be especially popular in large cities such as Toronto, with its sizable GLBT community, and within the states of California and Massachusetts.

With more than 85,000 American same-sex couples estimated to exist, there are many life-changing occasions to commemorate with greeting cards, ranging from weddings to births or adoptions, to deaths and divorces. The cards will join 200 already existing wedding cards, including an assortment designed for so-called “non-traditional” families such as inter-faith, interracial, and blended.

Hallmark’s major competitor, American Greetings, says it has no intention of offering wedding cards that are specifically same-sex related.