Chick-Fil-A CEO Dan Cathy Speaks Out On Gay Marriage Controversy | HuffPost Voic

Contents:

• CHICK-FIL-A CEO DAN CATHY SPEAKS OUT ON GAY MARRIAGE CONTROVERSY
• CHICK-FIL-A CEO DAN CATHY STEPS TO GAY-MARRIAGE BATE
• YEARS LATER, CHICK-FIL-A STILL FEELS HEAT OM LGBTQ GROUPS OVER ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE REMARKS
• CHICK-FIL-A CEO CATHY: GAY MARRIAGE STILL WRONG, BUT I'LL SHUT UP ABOUT IT AND SELL CHICKEN
• CHICK-FIL-A’S GAY MARRIAGE NTROVERSY RIS AGA
• CHICK-FIL-A PRINT TWEETS RPONSE TO GAY MARRIAGE RULGS, THEN DELET
• CHICK-FIL-A PRINT LET ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE TWEET
• FACT-CHECKG THE FALLOUT OM THE CHICK-FIL-A GAY MARRIAGE NTROVERSY
• AMID CHICK-FIL-A UPROAR, AMAZON CEO JEFF BEZOS TAK A STAND ON GAY MARRIAGE

CHICK-FIL-A CEO DAN CATHY SPEAKS OUT ON GAY MARRIAGE CONTROVERSY

Chick-fil-A Print and CEO Dan Cathy apparently laments gettg the fast-food cha volved the bate over marriage equaly, but he isn't takg back his anti-gay ments. Cathy spoke wh The Atlanta Journal-Constutn about the homophobic remark that land him and the bs hot water nearly two years ago.

The cha, which has more than 100 lotns Virgia and more than 50 Maryland, is closed on Sundays, pip hymns on the grounds surroundg s headquarters and has prevly e unr fire om lbian, gay and bisexual and transgenr groups for donatns ma by the pany's why have Cathy’s ments ed such a stir? Chick-fil-A, the fast-food cha famo for ied chicken sandwich, is ntug to tch cricism om the LGBTQ muny for anti-gay marriage remarks s CEO ma seven years this week, the cy uncil San Anton, Texas, voted to ban the cha om openg a rtrant the ternatnal airport gay-rights supporters cricized Louisville's mor-league soccer anchise for nng a promotn wh Chick-fil-A that offered ee sandwich if the team story:Louisville Cy FC fac LGBTQ backlash over partnership wh Chick-fil-ARints also recently chastised the Ccnati Reds for partnerg wh the cha to offer ee chicken sandwich wh a drk purchase to fans wearg Reds gear on Openg Day Universy New Jersey drew headl late last year when elimated Chick-fil-A om a list of potential on-mp vendors bee stunts protted over the cha's reputatn for an anti-gay bias. ' And I pray God's mercy on our generatn that has such a priful, arrogant attu to thk that we have the dacy to fe what marriage is about, " Cathy said a rad pany's charable foundatn, The Wshape Foundatn, has fund nservative Christian groups, cludg the Fay Rearch Foundatn; Alliance Defendg Freedom, which supports re-crimalizg homosexualy; and Exod Internatnal, a now-funct group known for "nversn therapy" tend to make gay people bee pany has repeatedly said don't support any polil agenda on fai and marriage, but the fact that Cathy didn't apologize for his statements has been a long-standg plat wh LGBTQ activists.

Cathy agreed that the "lgerg inty" of Chick-fil-A wh "anti-gay groups" that jumped to s fense 2012 has meant "alienatg market segments":. Read more about the billnaire Cathys, cludg charable donatns to anti-gay-marriage groups, here. Tett Cathy and his wife, Jeate, which crics ntend has evinced a bias the Chick-fil-A pany by donatg lns of dollars to groups wh anti-gay agendas:.

CHICK-FIL-A CEO DAN CATHY STEPS TO GAY-MARRIAGE BATE

In the name of tolerance, the anti-Chick-fil-A hawks sneered at the pany's ma product as "J Chicken, " rid s no-Sunday-work policy, and attacked s operators as "anti-gay. This is not bee they re about wng hearts and mds over gay rights or marriage policy, but bee their re objective is to margalize polil opponents and chill Christian philanthropy and activism.

YEARS LATER, CHICK-FIL-A STILL FEELS HEAT OM LGBTQ GROUPS OVER ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE REMARKS

The pany has mataed that neher they nor the anizatns they donate to through WShape has an "anti-gay" agenda:. The stunt senate at Northeastern Universy, Boston, voted to end negotiatns to brg fast-food cha Chick-fil-A to mp after stunts protted over the pany's affiliatn wh several Christian anizatns the stunts say have an "anti-gay" Atlanta-based pany, dogged for months by accatns of homophobia, sists is "not anti-anybody" but stead simply wants to "gracly serve great food and have a posive fluence on all who e ntact wh Chick-fil-A.

None of the anizatns the pany supports has an "anti-gay" agenda, although as Christian groups, they do uphold and support heterosexual marriage, Donald A.

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

Chick-fil-A print and chief operatg officer Dan Cathy's July 2012 terview wh the Baptist Prs generated even more ntroversy over the issue, wh crics matag he had virtually acknowledged the pany supports an anti-gay marriage agenda:. The Jim Henson Company announced would no longer partner wh Chick-fil-A the wake of the fast food pany's acknowledged support of anti-gay anizatns. Meno is vowg to block Chick-fil-A om brgg s Southern-ied fast-food empire to Boston — possibly to a popular tourist spot jt steps om the Freedom Trail — after the fay-owned firm’s print suggted gay marriage is "vg God’s judgment on our natn.

A uple of wily-circulated piec about Chick-fil-A and other fast food outlets were merely bs of satiril polil humor, not genue news ems:On 24 July 2012, the satiril Onn web se spoofed the Chick-fil-A ntroversy by publishg an article tled "Chick-Fil-A Debuts New Homophobic Sandwich":.

CHICK-FIL-A’S GAY MARRIAGE NTROVERSY RIS AGA

As part of s recent efforts to publicly align self wh fundamentalist Christian valu, the Chick-fil-A rtrant cha announced the but of s new Queer-Hat' Cordon Bl sandwich that would be on sale all of the pany's 1, 600 a prs nference to reporters, pany reprentativ said the homophobic new sandwich will clu the natnal fast food cha’s tramark ied chicken filet wrapped a piece of specially-smoked No Homo ham that would be topped wh a slice of Swiss chee and lathered a creamy new Thoand Island-based Fag Punchg sce. Rpondg to Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy's recent ntroversial admissn of the pany's donatns to antigay groups, a statement om petg fast food cha Wendy’s let nsumers know that has long supported same-sex upl and only harbors strong objectns to terracial marriage. "It's important that Wendy’s ctomers know our rtrant proudly stands by the right of all Amerins to marry whomever they choose, so long as isn't someone of a different race, ” said spokwoman Jenna Knox, addg that while Wendy’s has always backed pro-gay legislatn, found miscegenatn "an abomable offense to God’s will.

Followg the Wendy’s statement, executiv om Jack the Box nfirmed that they too had always supported gay rights and the Holot never happened. Some rears asked, "Did Chick-fil-A really spend lns lobbyg Congrs not to nmn Uganda’s 'Kill the Gays' bill"?

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

We found no evince that Chick-fil-A self spent money (let alone lns) lobbyg Congrs to prevent that body om issug a nmnatn of a ntroversial Ugandan legislative bill which rried the ath penalty for some homosexual acts. 1064, a rolutn seekg to "exprs the sense of the Hoe of Reprentativ" that Uganda's proposed Anti-Homosexualy Bill "threatens the protectn of fundamental human rights. 1064, they did not support the Uganda bill or the ath penalty for homosexualy, and their lobbyg efforts were not aimed at killg the Congrsnal rolutn but rather at changg s language "to remove sweepg and accurate assertns that homosexual nduct is ternatnally regnized as a fundamental human right.

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

In September 2012, the Civil Rights Agenda group reported that Chick-fil-A had pledged not to fund groups that oppose gay marriage:. Chick-fil-A has pledged to stop givg money to anti-gay groups and to back off polil and social bat after an executive’s ments land the fast-food cha smack the middle of the gay marriage Civil Rights Agenda, which dubs self the largt lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr advocy group Illois, said Chick-fil-A agreed meetgs to stop donatg to groups such as Foc on the Fay and the Natnal Organizatn for Marriage. "Is Chick-fil-A Anti-Gay Marriage?

"Chick-fil-A Promis to Stop Givg Money to Anti-Gay Groups. "FRC Lobbied Congrs on Rolutn Denouncg Ugandan Anti-Gay Bill.

"NYU Decid to Keep 'Homophobic' Chick-fil-A Long Before Petn Lnched. Lol officials other ci are enuragg protts of proposed lotns, cludg San Mateo County California, where County Supervisor David Canepa said the pany’s logo “might as well say ‘we hate gay people, ’” acrdg to the Daily Journal.

FACT-CHECKG THE FALLOUT OM THE CHICK-FIL-A GAY MARRIAGE NTROVERSY

It has done so well New York, fact, that the cha opened a 12, 000-square-foot lotn there last has neverthels worked to distance self om the gay marriage ntroversy. In 2014, Dan Cathy vowed to “shut up” about gay marriage, notg that was a mistake to wa to the ntroversy. The pany has equently sisted that do not endorse homophobic views and earlier this year the head of s charable arm told Bs Insir that he would be open to workg wh an LGBTQ statement this sprg fend s foundatn’s donatns, sayg that s donatn to FCA was targeted to summer sports mps for ner-cy youth who are not required to sign one of the group’s sexual pury pledg.

AMID CHICK-FIL-A UPROAR, AMAZON CEO JEFF BEZOS TAK A STAND ON GAY MARRIAGE

Last summer, Chick-fil-A print Dan Cathy ed a ck when he spoke out agast gay marriage, and appears his views haven't changed sce, as he aga ma headl for cricizg the recent Supreme Court lgs on same-sex marriage.

Last summer, the pany was heavily cricized for donatg nearly $7 ln to anti-gay groups om 2003 to 2010, acrdg to The Huffgton Post. Cathy said that the pany was "guilty as charged, " when me to opposn to gay marriage.

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.