Contents:
- 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?
- YEARS LATER, CHICK-FIL-A STILL FEELS HEAT OM LGBTQ GROUPS OVER ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE REMARKS
THE NEXT TIME YOU CRAVE CHICKEN, REMEMBER THAT CHICK-FIL-A IS STILL VERY MUCH ANTI-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.
I’M GAY AND I EAT AT CHICK-FIL-A. SHOULD I FEEL ASHAMED?
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.
YEARS LATER, CHICK-FIL-A STILL FEELS HEAT OM LGBTQ GROUPS OVER ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE REMARKS
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. 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. The clud The Salvatn Army, which has historilly been acced of nyg support to LGBTQ+ dividuals, referrg people to nversn therapy, and generally engagg homophobic and transphobic rhetoric.