New IRS 990 forms reveal that fast-food restaurant chain Chick-fil-A donated nearly $2 million to anti-gay groups in 2009, reports Equality Matters.
Earlier this year, Chick-fil-A became embroiled in a controversy surrounding its donations to anti-gay groups, and although Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy denied having an “agenda against anyone,” an investigation by Equality Matters found that Chick-fil-A donated more than $1 million to anti-gay causes between 2003 and 2008, and double that amount in 2009.
The 2009 contributions reflect the most recent year for which public records are available.
According to the Equality Matters report, the WinShape Foundation — Chick-fil-A’s charitable arm, created by Chick-fil-A founder and chairman S. Truett Cathy in 1984 — received substantial funding from Chick-fil-A: in 2009 alone, WinShape received $7,814,788 from Chick-fil-A Inc.
In 2009 alone, WinShape distributed $1,733,699 among seven anti-gay groups, including the Marriage And Family Legacy Fund, Exodus International, and two groups identified as “hate groups” by the Southern Poverty Law Center — Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council.
Exodus International is one of the world’s largest promoters of “ex-gay” therapy. Focus on the Family and the FRC have earned their “hate groups” designation for promoting known falsehoods about the LGBT community, including FRC’s claim that pedophilia is a “homosexual problem.”
Earlier this year, a Chick-fil-A restaurant in Pennsylvania co-sponsored a marriage conference along with the Pennsylvania Family Institute — the PFI had previously worked to kill a state bill that would have prohibited discrimination against LGBT people in housing, employment, and public accommodations, and had filed an amicus brief against the trial ruling striking down California’s Proposition 8.
Following news reports of the sponsorship, Chick-fil-A scrubbed its name from the event’s advertisements.
In response to the controversy, Cathy released a statement denying that Chick-fil-A’s donation was an endorsement of traditional marriage, and argued that Chick-fil-A has “no agenda against anyone,” and that the company would not “champion any political agendas” relating to marriages or families.
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aren’t they closed on Sundays??? having worked retail, I’m down with the Sunday off ~ here’s the quote off their site..
Fine. Then they won’t need any of My money.
seems we have another boycott ahead of us, not that i have ever eaten there, but guess i’ll never try
Our founder, Truett Cathy, made the decision to close on Sundays in 1946 when he opened his first restaurant in Hapeville, Georgia. He has often shared that his decision was as much practical as spiritual. He believes that all franchised Chick-fil-A Operators and their Restaurant employees should have an opportunity to rest, spend time with family and friends, and worship if they choose to do so. That’s why all Chick-fil-A Restaurants are closed on Sundays. It’s part of our recipe for success.
Bad Chick-fil-A
Always avoided them because their chicken tasted funny. I guess bigotry has a taste.
This is why I havent been to a Chick-fil-A in about 2 years :)
Their food taste good, but it makes my stomach ache. 0.0
They will never get another dime of my money!
I don’t eat there anyway
they just jealous cus women are the new white meat.. ;-)
Fantastic. More money in my pocket!
What’re they chicken?? lol
there chicken is stray cat!
surley not going there ever again………..@julie gondar-what the hell does Chick-fil-A being closed on Sundays have to do with this?
2 million dollars? I’ll never eat there again.
I am DONE with Chick a shit! Zaxby’s don’t let me down!! Hell, I may even diet now!
I heard about this a short while back. Proudly wearing my `anti-chik` t-shirt.
oh well their food sux anyway
More money for clothes and suits!
Only ate there once…that was my first and last time, definitely.
I have only ate there 1 time. Found out about the Holy faith only hiring rules and never went back.
Its ok there’s snuff of us gays that support them.bigots
Smdh. I won’t even get a cup of water from them anymore
Continue the boycott… I have been boycotting them for 3 years.
now if only their chicken sandwiches weren’t so good!!! lol
Never ate there to begin with. More importantly, I have never met anyone that has and liked it.
Im curious how many gay/lesbians they have working for them? I don’t eat there anymore anyway but find it quite funny, you would think they would enjoy making money instead they are losing customers
Which is why I don’t eat there!
chick fil a’s food sucks.. they wont ever see a penny from me!! oh yeah and if youre allergic to peanuts … more of a reason to stay away… their food is fried in peanut oil
Chik-fil-A was founded by a christian hence the bigotry or wrong thinking. Heaven help us for equality rights. All people should be equal not matter color or religion or sexual orientation (born the way they are)
Not eating there anymore..
Shame on them…heard something several months ago about this – they’ve lost my business.
I reposted this on my page, with the following comment: No agenda against anyone? Then stand up and refuse to let any of the company’s donations, direct or indirect, benefit organizations that perpetuate the hatred. Don’t want us to think you donate money to anti-gay organizations? It’s quite simple. DON’T DONATE MONEY TO ANTI-GAY ORGANIZATIONS.
Well, duh…!
Boycott is in order.
I don’t even really care for their food. At the local chick fil a here on campus, it’s always overpriced and greasy. This is really just a nail in their coffin for me.
check out this group guys show your support http://www.facebook.com/#!/rahbstandup
Chick-Fil-A is cooking up some anti-lgbt discrimination! Join the Chick-Fil-A Boycott! http://www.facebook.com/groups/boycott.chic.fil.a/
Used to love buying their sandwiches until I heard about their support of the anti-gay “agenda.” They don’t get my money anymore. I’d like to see them run out of our campus food court, but I don’t think it’ll happen any time soon.
boycott them
Not surprising
theyre owned by a religious company, ive known that for a while now, all the black baptist in my area go there after church services, i see em all packed in their shitty caddy’s dressed in their church clothes, its a fuckin circus, fuckin freaks…
Yet another reason to be a vegetarian or vegan! What a bunch of haters!
Hate fried crap anyways. Atleast now i have an even better excuse to not go there.
Never did like their food.
AND THEY KILL CHICKENS! BOYCOTT THE BASTARDS!
Been boycotting them since I found out 6 months ago!?
ugh…. this is unfortunate. i really love you chik-fil-a but how can I support a business that doesn’t support me?
They are giving chicken a bad name.
wow…
Boycotting Chick-fil-A I will now and ever will…. yes!
Using LGBT money against us.
And this is why I don’t shop there anymore.
Another reason I just became a vegan?
I haven’t eaten there in 2 years as well. As soon as I heard this, I was furious. I’ve encouraged my friends to boycott as well.
And their waffle fries suck too!
Gee, I hope people don’t start burning down Chick-fil-a stores. And it is patently unfair that gays and their families suffer the devastating effects of discrimination while the bigots and their families go along untouched. Anyone coming into contact with S. Truett Cathy, members of any of the organizations mentioned, or their loved ones, should take any action possible to harm them.
Apparently equality and freedom for all carries no meaning for Chick-fil-A. Shame on any business that supports division rather than unity.
Let’s talk about this with “Ask Sidney” at http://treasurecoasthappens.com. Together, we can make a difference!
We don’t have that chain in our area. But really, I’d quit my job and boycott the company AND make sure the whole town knew how discriminatory the place was. Unacceptable. GRR
I don’t do fast food but they will never get any money from me. Don’t agree with their ethics. And I stopped eating meat awhile ago!!!
they won’t see one penny of my money.
Never ate there, we’ll make sure that neither will my friends.
all the more reason to be a vegan and not support animal cruelty.
Ahh, Chicken sounds real good right now. I think I’m gonna go get in my truck and go get me a Chicken sandwich, hot brown, large waffle fry and a sweet tea. Chick-Fil-A, an American tradition! Aww yeah!
Not okay.
No more Chick Fil A for me. I’ve known about that company for a while now.
needless tosay they are dumbarses anyway
The irony is they have a ‘Cow Appreciation Day’. So yes, support cows, wipe off gay folk! what is the matter with these people??
fuck chick-fil-a, they are overpriced anyway.
Use to like chicfila but what a group of bigoted pigs! My gay daughter loves their food but no more Haters chicken
Luckily,they’res isnt one in my area thank goodness.
Good for them. It’s their money
I eat there all the time, and will continue to do so. Not everyone supports sodomites and their activities. More power to Chik-Filet – they’re not intimidated and I dig that, and their delicious chicken.
Julie:
Thanks for that reply. I know it is family-oriented, and I thank you and the company for taking a stand against homosexuals and their attempts to blackmail, blackball and intimidate. My family eats at your establishments as often as possible, and will certainly continue to do so. We will invite others to as well, in support of your courage and your fight for families.
I haven’t eaten there before, but I will now. They have guts. They can spend their money anyway they want to, just like the sodomites
any dirt on popeye’s chicken? i hope they didnt join the dark side too. I will cry if I have to give up the only decent chicken in ohio!
If chick-fil-YUCK really wanted to be “successful”, they’d quit pushing $$ towards anti-gay gangs, and improve what they call “food”.
Chick fil A and its employees will be haunted by the souls of millions of dead chickens! Especially the dead gay chickens! A (chicken) pox on their house
In addition to being scary anti-gay, Chik-Fil-A also takes an extremist position against abortion. They give money to crisis pregnancy centers, which are fake abortion clinics that often set up shop next to real abortion clinics, then wait for a patient to come in the wrong place so that a religious crackpot in an eBay’d lab coat can tell her lies like abortion makes you suicidal (American Psychological Association says nope) or abortion gives you breast cancer (US National Cancer Institute as well as American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists say nope).
I lived in the South for many years and the only chicken I miss more than Chik-Fil-A is Mrs. Winner’s. Still… no good can come of lining the pockets of fundamentalist psychos.
SPREAD THE WORD!
All LGBT persons should be extremely cautious about where we spend our money and what products we buy. Never give money to churches or anyone affiliated with a religious organization. Be sure to use the Human Rights Campaign’s website “Equality Index” to decide where you’ll buy food, gas,cars,clothing, etc.
Let’s make sure that our money never gets to these hate groups! They will stab you in the back at the first available opportunity!
One of the biggest reasons that we don’t have equality is that their are some incredibly stupid gays out their that give their money to these hate groups. Stop sending your kids to religious-based schools! Stop putting money in collection plates! Donating to religious groups is like giving a gun to a person that wants to kill you!
If you’re in the giving mood, PLEASE donate only to an LGBT charity. Lots of our own could desperately use a helping hand. Thanks for reading.