A gay fense of Chick-fil-A

FDG OUT WTBROOK’S CHICK-FIL-A IS OWNED BY TWO GAY MEN MA ME PSE

* chik fil a gay *

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.

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.

CHICK-FIL-A ANTI-GAY CONTROVERSY: GAY EMPLOYE SPEAK OUT

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. 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.

CHICK-FIL-A COPYT (ORIGAL CHICK-FIL-GAY SANDWICH)

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. In 2019, Chick-fil-A announced that they changed their missn and donate to different chari than they have the past, not specifilly nfirmg they will stop givg to anti-gay chari. Tett Cathy, who died 2014 and was known for stickg to his le of keepg the bs closed on Sundays as a way of "honorg God, " was homophobic, as per s evangelistic roots.

Below, a ndown of what’s happened, and where thgs appear to stand today:It all started 2010It has been more than a sce Chick-fil-A's antigay image began to take root, thanks to reportg by LGBTQ media showg that the rporatn, through s relig WShape Organizatn, had donated nearly $2 ln to antigay groups, among them the Marriage & Fay Foundatn, Exod Internatnal and the Fay Rearch Council. That prompted more reportg om the New Civil Rights Movement (now part of AlterNet Media), revealg that Chick-fil-A had donated an timated $5 ln to antigay anizatns between 2003 and 2010. "Let's face , " clared BlackBook, jt one of many exampl of media llg the cha out, "spe what the pany's print says, Chick-fil-A is an antigay rporatn.