How Chick-Fil-A's Social-Media Bungle Fueled a Gay-Rights Backlash

Contents:

• CHICK-FIL-A RPONDS TO ANTI-GAY CONTROVERSY ON FACEBOOK
• CHICK-FIL-A HALTS DONATNS TO 3 GROUPS AGAST GAY MARRIAGE
• THE NEXT TIME YOU CRAVE CHICKEN, REMEMBER THAT CHICK-FIL-A IS STILL VERY MUCH ANTI-GAY
• I’M GAY AND I EAT AT CHICK-FIL-A. SHOULD I FEEL ASHAMED?
• CHICK-FIL-A PRINT TWEETS RPONSE TO GAY MARRIAGE RULGS, THEN DELET
• CHICK-FIL-A CEO CATHY: GAY MARRIAGE STILL WRONG, BUT I'LL SHUT UP ABOUT IT AND SELL CHICKEN
• CHICK-FIL-A PRINT'S ANTI-GAY COMMENTS CONTUE TO INSPIRE MOVEMENTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
• CHICK-FIL-A GAY FLAP A 'WAKP CALL' FOR COMPANI
• CHICK-FIL-A PRINT LET ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE TWEET
• IS CHICK-FIL-A ANTI-GAY?
• HOW CHICK-FIL-A'S SOCIAL-MEDIA BUNGLE FUELED A GAY-RIGHTS BACKLASH

CHICK-FIL-A RPONDS TO ANTI-GAY CONTROVERSY ON FACEBOOK

Notably, Chick-fil-A never explicly said would permanently stop donatg to anti-gay groups or anizatns that discrimate agast LGBTQ people — jt said was changg s philanthropic givg mol.

In 2012, the Chigo-based Civil Rights Agenda issued a statement claimg that Chick-fil-A had promised to “no longer give to anti-gay anizatns, such as Foc on the Fay and the Natnal Organizatn for marriage. As ThkProgrs reported 2017, Chick-fil-A ntued to bankroll anti-gay groups like the Fellowship of Christian Athlet, the Salvatn Army, and the Pl Anrson Youth Home through s foundatn. But the 2012 cint wasn’t the first time the Cathys were acced of homophobia.

A year earlier, a Pennsylvania Chick-fil-A’s cisn to donate food to a marriage semar nducted by the Pennsylvania Fay Instute, a group known for s anti-gay advocy, prompted a natnwi boytt of the cha.

CHICK-FIL-A HALTS DONATNS TO 3 GROUPS AGAST GAY MARRIAGE

Cathy issued a vio statement rponse to the boytt, which he claimed the pany “serv all people” and that, while he personally believ the “biblil fn of marriage, ” his pany don’t have an “anti-gay agenda. In 2011, the same year a Pennsylvania Chick-fil-A anchise donated food to a lol anti-gay anizatn, the LGBTQ advocy group Equaly Matters obtaed tax rerds which revealed that the Cathy fay had donated more than $1. 9 ln to anti-gay groups 2010 through the WShape Foundatn, the Cathy fay’s charable givg anizatn found by Tett Cathy 1984.

1 ln gift to the Marriage & Fay Foundatn, a group that promoted so-lled tradnal marriage and opposed both gay marriage and divorce; $480, 000 to the Fellowship of Christian Athlet, an athletic anizatn that requir applints to agree to a “sexual pury statement” that nmns LGBTQ people for livg “impure liftyle[s]”; and $1, 000 to Exod Internatnal, a group that promot anti-gay nversn therapy. For Chick-fil-A’s opponents, the problem was bigger than Cathy’s anti-gay ments, was that he was apparently puttg his money where his mouth was, and he had a lot of money to go around.

THE NEXT TIME YOU CRAVE CHICKEN, REMEMBER THAT CHICK-FIL-A IS STILL VERY MUCH ANTI-GAY

In a 2014 terview wh the Atlanta Journal-Constutn, Cathy admted he regretted gettg volved the gay marriage bate. Though Chick-fil-A never managed to fully shed s reputatn as a homophobic purveyor of lic chicken sandwich, ntued to expand s natnal prence, pecially above the Mason-Dixon le.

I’M GAY AND I EAT AT CHICK-FIL-A. SHOULD I FEEL ASHAMED?

The Cathys’ “dissonant view, ” as one brand nsultant lled , may have fally hurt Chick-fil-A’s bottom le — pecially now that a popular, non-homophobic alternative to Chick-fil-A’s sandwich has emerged. When asked about his pany's reported donatns to anti-gay anizatns like Exod Internatnal and the Fay Rearch Council, Cathy told wrer K. " Add HuffPost Gay Voic blogger and theater profsor Domenick Scura: "Sce Mr.

In Febary, Northeastern Universy officials reportedly squashed plans for a mp-based anchise of the fast food cha, after "stunt ncerns reflected [Chick-fil-A's] history of donatg to anti-gay anizatns, " acrdg to The Boston Globe. Chick-fil-A is endg donatns to three groups that oppose gay marriage an effort to halt protts and broan s ctomer base. Chick-fil-A is endg donatns to three groups that oppose gay marriage an effort to halt protts and broan s ctomer the move has angered some of the fast food cha’s Atlanta-based pany said Monday that startg next year, will foc s givg on three areas: hunger, homelsns and tn.

CHICK-FIL-A PRINT TWEETS RPONSE TO GAY MARRIAGE RULGS, THEN DELET

The pany wouldn’t say whether will nsir an anizatn’s posn on gay rights before donatg. But the meantime, don’t plan to ntue s support of three groups that oppose gay marriage and have been the target of prottor’s ire. The foundatn also gave $6, 000 to the Pl Anrson Youth ’s cisn to no longer support the groups angered some nservativ, who say they stood by the rtrant 2012 when CEO Dan Cathy said several terviews that he didn’t support gay marriage.

Earlier this year, airports Buffalo, New York, and San Anton blocked the rtrant om openg at their s bee of the pany’s gay rights rerd. A lotn the Uned Kgdom is closg bee of, an LGBTQ rights group, said greeted Monday’s news wh “ut optimism, ” but said Chick-fil-A has ma siar pledg Anrson, GLAAD’s director of mpaigns and rapid rponse, said if Chick-fil-A wants to be taken serly, should speak out agast s anti-gay reputatn and ensure rtrants are safe for gay employe.

CHICK-FIL-A CEO CATHY: GAY MARRIAGE STILL WRONG, BUT I'LL SHUT UP ABOUT IT AND SELL CHICKEN

Kellie, a 23-year-old gay woman om Geia who also requted her last name be whheld for fear of beg outed the prs, worked at two different Chick-fil-A lotns Geia.

She loved workg at the first lotn, she said, where nobody ever said anythg homophobic or discrimatory.

CHICK-FIL-A PRINT'S ANTI-GAY COMMENTS CONTUE TO INSPIRE MOVEMENTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY

But at the send lotn, Atlanta, ‘there was a lot of general homophobia.

’ Managers would equently make homophobic jok, she said, and she felt that if she were to tell her lleagu she was gay, she would be fired.

The platiff, Gerald Bostock, was fired jt for exprsg tert jog a gay softball league. The pany gave $1 ln to the Fellowship of Christian Athlet, a relig anizatn wh “a strict ‘sexual pury’ policy, prohibg any homosexual acts. ” The anizatn believ the “sexual, physil and mental abe of children” rulted “the explosn of homosexualy the last century.

CHICK-FIL-A GAY FLAP A 'WAKP CALL' FOR COMPANI

Durg that time, they donated lns of dollars to anti-LGBTQ groups (cludg on that want to crimalize and port gay “pedophil”).

There are lots of gays at the school I went to and would be a mon thg where I would notice other gays gog gno to Chick-fil-A, tryg to get their fix.

CHICK-FIL-A PRINT LET ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE TWEET

”John, a 26-year-old gay man who liv and works the New York Cy area, says he also ed to eat there as unrver as possible.

IS CHICK-FIL-A ANTI-GAY?

“Untentnally but subnscly, I was tryg to not be seen by the other gays that might be the area watchg me pull to the drive-th.

”PETA and the LGBTQ+ muny's "Chick-fil-A Is Anti-Gay! ”I am a 40-year-old gay Black man who for large swaths of his life red about how others perceived him.

As I waed for my orr the store, I wonred if my outf ma me look gay for the first time years. Gays: Sometim we eat at social media, posts about this taboo take particular hold durg Pri Month, when shame is supposed to be banished favor of celebratn.

HOW CHICK-FIL-A'S SOCIAL-MEDIA BUNGLE FUELED A GAY-RIGHTS BACKLASH

But Chick-fil-A is only closed on Sundays — not all June urse, for some members of the LGBTQ+ muny and our alli, eatg at Chick-fil-A is the ultimate transgrsn agast our terie — and when you look at some of the evince, for a gay person, ’s hard to argue 's ntroversial historyIt all started 2010, when the WShape Foundatn, a charable enavor of Chick-fil-A founr S. ” When Chick-fil-A gave over $8 ln to the foundatn 2010, WShape then donated $2 ln of the funds received om Chick-fil-A to seven anti-LGBTQ+ groups, cludg The Fay Rearch Council, an anizatn listed as an “anti-gay hate group” by the Southern Poverty Law went on for years, cludg 2012 when Dan Cathy said that Ameri was “vg God’s judgment” for entertag the ia of same-sex marriage and later said “guilty as charged” when asked if he thought marriage equaly should not then, Cathy has openly voiced his anti-LGBTQ+ opns and personally donated to anti-LGBTQ+ groups. A protter at PETA and the LGBTQ+ muny's "Chick-fil-A Is Anti-Gay!