Chick-fil-A Anti-Gay Controversy: Gay Employe Speak Out | HuffPost Voic

Contents:

• IS CHICK-FIL-A ANTI-GAY?
• CHICK-FIL-A ANTI-GAY CONTROVERSY: GAY EMPLOYE SPEAK OUT
• CHICK-FIL-A'S ANTI-GAY DONATNS TOTALED NEARLY $2 MILLN IN 2010: REPORT
• A GAY FENSE OF CHICK-FIL-A

IS CHICK-FIL-A 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.

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. 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.

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

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. 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.

CHICK-FIL-A'S ANTI-GAY DONATNS TOTALED NEARLY $2 MILLN IN 2010: REPORT

In 2012, the fast-food cha me unr fire for givg money to the sce disband ex-gay group Exod Internatnal, as well as the Southern Poverty Law Center-signated hate group Fay Rearch Council (FRC). The FRC is a stnch advote for the bunked practice of nversn therapy, and s print, Tony Perks, has likened homosexualy to dg addictn and those donatns were lled out, Cathay nfirmed that the pany was dited to the “the biblil fn of the fay un.

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. "GLAAD, 2012, summed up the bottom le this way: "Chick-fil-A has donated more than $5 ln sce 2003 to anti-gay groups, cludg those that have been signated 'hate groups' by the Southern Poverty Law Center, and those that ph so-lled 'ex-gay therapy, ' which seeks to turn gay people straight. 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.

A GAY FENSE OF CHICK-FIL-A

Jim Fortier (left) and Mark Toomajian (right) kiss as they jo about two dozen members of gay rights groups and others prottg outsi a Detur, Geia, Chick-fil-A rtrant 2012.