In the name of marketing in a way that the public will be drawn to purchase their products, British merchants have changed how they present the traditional nativity. Some have removed Joseph altogether, presenting Mary as a single parent to appeal to single parent customers.

Other merchants have changed Joseph into a woman, portraying him "as a figure with rosy cheeks and curly hair, donning a headscarf and cloak...." Such displays, say British shop owners, were designed to appeal to customers with "Sapphic (lesbian) inclinations."

Thereby an already flawed tradition, the unscriptural nativity scene, is distanced further from the teachings and principles of God's Word.

Source: "Nativity Story Retold PC Style-Minus Joseph," UPI, December 17, 2000.