Fast-food chain Chick-fil-A — embroiled in a recent controversy surrounding the millions of dollars it donated to anti-gay organizations — has three words for gay rights advocates: “Guilty as charged.”
Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy, in an interview with the Baptist Press, said his company’s position supporting “traditional marriage” is based on values rooted in the Bible, and that he intends to “stay the course,” which has included donating to Exodus International, one of the world’s largest promoters of “ex-gay” therapy.
Some have opposed the company’s support of the traditional family. “Well, guilty as charged,” said Cathy when asked about the company’s position.
“We are very much supportive of the family — the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that.
“We operate as a family business … our restaurants are typically led by families; some are single. We want to do anything we possibly can to strengthen families. We are very much committed to that,” Cathy emphasized.
“We intend to stay the course,” he said. “We know that it might not be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord, we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles.”
According to an Equality Matters report released in November 2011, 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.
That same year, 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.
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.”
Cathy has previously denied that Chick-fil-A’s donations were an endorsement of traditional marriage, and that the company would not “champion any political agendas” relating to marriages or families.
But in the Baptist Press interview, Cathy acknowledged that, although the WinShape Foundation began as a college scholarship and expanded to a foster care program, it has “morphed into a marriage program in conjunction with national marriage ministries.”
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if you don’t approve – don’t eat there
They even blame pedophilia on gays, lovely. Just lovely.
I refuse to eat there!
Their chicken is tasty, but not SO tasty as to overcome that nasty mind-set. UGH.
shame on you
i will never eat there again.
hells no, they got no dollar menu and i prefer beef in my burgars thank you very much.
traditional marriage MULTIPLE WIVES, LEGAL and ok to RAPE a wife…..”traditinoal according t othe bible
That video is the funniest thing I have seen this week
of course the BIBLE NEVER mentioned MARRIAGE……..
Well I was already boycotting before I saw this. This reaffirms my boycott. I say take action. Convince friends and family to boycott. I already contacted chick-fil-a with a very nicely worded letter politely explaining my boycott to them and the immediately responded. They have no interest in loosing customers including LGBT and allies and they will respond quickly to all the comments. Let us flood their email box and let them know our disapproval. One person with kind but stern words wont be enough we need hundreds!
Good thing we don’t have those restaurants around where I live.. You fail Chick-fil-A.
I will never spend a penny in this establishment again! I rather go hungry! Signed a christian man, a gay man!
Tacky brand name. Gays wouldn’t accept them anyhow…
Let’s just say whatever the fast “food” restaurant’s politics, the “food” they serve is disgusting processed poison. No self respecting queer would destroy rtheir bodies by eating that garbage! ORGANIC OR BUST!
(btw to send them a message they give you an option on their website to contact them and give feed back about a specific store. I just left out all store info and messaged them (politely). They are first and foremost a business and if we make them believe the potential of their business being threatened with customer loss they will act accordingly. Also remember they are NOT evil people and like you they are satanical for what they believe in. Treat them with respect and they will and DO return it even as you are telling them about the boycott.
I stopped eating there way before I found out about they’re anti-gay support. The employees were snobs.
Friends of mine were talking about trying to get a Chick-fil-A in Vegas until I informed them about all this. Needless to say, they ended their campaign…
Another good reason not to eat garbage.
Oh really! Well, eff them!
Have never eaten there, never going to now!
Their suppliers are factory farms from what I hear! Haven’t eaten there in many years.
Really? You need to be told where not to eat? My issue here is the lack of research. I mean, that fact that they are closed on Sunday should be a red flag
I will not be eating there!
Stopped eating there at the beginning of this year. I support equality and acceptance not hate and bigotry.
me too
I hate this restaurant. Never judge people that go, but I never will.
Bingo lets plan a huge bash were all of us “society destroyers” go to a local location in our pretty rainbows and have us a ball.
i will never go to that resturant again everyone should boycott them how dare they do that its wrong
I like when businesses and people are called out so I know who to boycot and who to support…
I used to like Chic Fila~ too bad it’s so an GLBTQA!
Ha I’ve never heard of Chick-fil-A until this whole controversy…
eat beef
Foods still good. They could support eating faces. Foods still good and the ones here are gay friendly.
I use to go there quite often. Since I heard about there Anti-Gay crap I will never set foot in any Chick-fil-A. Even though I will never go there, I feel it is a very foolish idea that they are closed on Sunday.
This is why my husband I no longer eat here, or Cracker Barrel… We believe in Equal Rights and will fight til we can’t fight anymore for these rights!!!!!!!!!
I wouldn’t eat their “food” anyway even if they did support gay marriage.. 1) I’m not a redneck. 2) I’m not a Repugnicant 3) I don’t own a truck. 4) I don’t have a mullet and 5) I only eat healthy food.
Should have said I don’t own a truck…with a gunrack.
No more chic fila for me!
I started my boycott of this place in the 80s.
They will never see one of MY Gay dollars.
Hateful, narrow minded company.
Never had Chick-fil-a. Now I never will.
Alas, they don’t know much about the history of marriage.
I have never eaten there. What do they sell?
That did it for me! Read the story! Against Gays! No more of my business! I’m done!
I have never eaten there and now i never will.
THe only cock gay men are boycotting en-masse
ALmost wish they had one here so we could boycott it.
I used to eat at Chick Fil A all the time in the 90′s but WILL NOT EAT there until they adopt a anti discrimination policy against GLBT people.
Fuck you Chick fil a!!!
Holy CRAP! That was EXHAUSTING! If someone posted something for me, please repost. I have 200 notifications in facebook!! MOST OF THEM “Likes!” LOOK at their PHOTO ALBUM! I even posted VIDEOS! Including one for GenderQueer Atheist on YouTube! It was a BLAST! And I have such a head ache! WOOT! ! http://www.facebook.com/ChickfilA/photos