Fast-food chain Chick-fil-A — embroiled in a controversy last year surrounding the millions of dollars it donated in 2009 and 2010 to anti-gay organizations — almost doubled it’s charitable donations to anti-gay groups in 2011, according to newly released IRS documents.
Although records for 2012 are not yet available, the latest tax filing by the chain’s charitable arm, the WinShape Foundation, shows that in 2011, its anti-LGBT giving exceeded $3.6 million — almost double the $1.9 million from the year prior, reported Think Progress.
According to the documents, the foundation gave $2,896,438 to the Marriage and Family Foundation in 2011, a massive increase over the $1,188,380 donated in 2010.
The group was founded in 2007 by Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy and originally called the “Marriage and Family Legacy Fund.” Its purpose was to serve as the “implementation and funding” arm of Marriage CoMission, a group which promotes the “traditional family structure.”
Among its supporters are Alan Chambers, president of Exodus International, one of the world’s largest promoters of gay-to-straight reparative therapy.
The WinShape Foundation also donated $480,000 to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and $247,500 to the National Christian Foundation in 2011 — both organizations received the same amount in 2010.
Last year, a number of reports suggested that Chick-fil-A, and WinShape had, or would, cease donations to anti-gay organizations, while others said that no such agreement existed. The company eventually released a statement that said it intended “to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena.”
In January, Campus Pride executive director Shane Windmeyer announced that he and Dan Cathy were now friends. Windmeyer, who is gay, married, and advocates for LGBT college students, claimed that he had “exclusively” seen Chick-fil-A’s tax documents, and because the chain was no longer funding anti-gay groups like the Family Research Council or Exodus International as of 2011, he was suspending his campaign against Chick-fil-A, which has franchises on many university campuses.And while Chick-fil-A did not donate to Exodus International or the FRC in 2011, as it had in 2010, both received money from the National Christian Foundation, which did receive direct funding from WinShape.
Last year, in an interview with the Baptist Press, Cathy acknowledged that Chick-fil-A was “guilty as charged” regarding its millions of dollars in contributions to established anti-gay organizations.
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pffft.
Just don’t eat their shit and boycott them, let them stew in their own juices.
That was 2011, this is now. I’m eagerly awaiting to see whether or not last year’s CEO fiasco urged them to stop donating to anti-LGBT cause.
another great example of why I will not eat here
Let them do as they please we as a gay community don’t have to patronize them
damnit they have awesome milkshakes, but I refuse to support them. On to Steak-and-Shake!
It’s to late to try to vindicate themselves.
What a joke.
wow… that’s sad…
and a bunch of straight haters gained 20lbs just to prove their point.
I’m totally over that shit. Who cares… Fuck them.
Goddamn Mormons
Their chicken sucks anyway
Not surprised. I went there a few weeks ago, started to order, then said “Oh, wait, I can’t eat here. No offense to you, but your head honcho is a homophobe. See ya.” I was wearing a rainbow beanie. Besides, I don’t eat fast food, anyway.
The food might be good, but the people who make it are not. Let there been kiss-ins at every Chick-fil-A to show all of the anti-L.G.B.T.Q. groups who’s boss. We don’t give a fuck if those stupid bitch prejudice, bigoted, discriminating homophobes and forms of them call people like Mitt Romney, Pope Benedict XVI, or Linda Harvey.
Even if they had stopped. I still don’t eat there
Saying he doesn’t like gay marriage is one thing, funding organizations that blatantly go against what this country was founded for (freedom), that’s a whole new pile-o-crap.
i wont eat there i boycott them
what i dont understand is “how can this be a CHARITABLE contribution?” why is it not a charitable contribution to give money to groups working to DEFEND and make changes in the lgbt laws that allow for equality in our laws?
Don’t eat there and don’t eat chicken anyway!!!! Go veggie! I love all people and all animals
This is why I will never eat there! How can anybody support a company that supports the Death Penalty for Homosexuals! Completely disgusting!
Don’t eat there. Not in about 2 years!
I still will not eat there!
…and they n their ilk are STILL circling the drain. Bwaahahahaha! Return to the sewers from which you emanated.
a leoperd never changes its spots
Even if they stopped the donations, I wouldn’t eat there if they were giving away their food for free.
If all of us boycott them and let our schools know we want none of there donated food for our children to eat we can make a hugh impact ban the chick-fil a for awful bigots.
Yuck
They’re dead to me
such a high priced place for fast food chicken…i got chicken strips the other day there, and it was almost nine bucks for the combo…what a joke…i knew i should have listened to my gay self..dang.=/
I don’t eat fast food, I’ll leave that up to you people from Te south.
All that money they waste….marriage equality is happening no matter how much $ they toss around. So hah.
Omg that is it! I am never eating this shit again! Not as if I ever really ate there anyway. Seriously!? Gay therapy groups to “help them get over being gay”!!!!! Omg! These groups are nothing more than the KKK or any other HATE GROUP! When I heard about this months ago, I figured that, who cares, they are entitled to have their opinion. But since they see fit to donate proceeds of MY MONEY to fund HATE GROUPS, I will never patronize this establishment again!
ahahaha, probably trying to make amends to appease the public. Some of my friends don’t even give a shit about what they stand for. “who cares. It’s just a food place” well good to hear. -_-
Who cares…lets focus on not eating that crap and being happy! ;-)
If you eat at Chick-Fil-A you are a birdbrain.
Sickening. Thank God i don’t dine there
Not surprising.
And the reason (indirectly…) that I’ve ensured that I have never eaten there, even after a new CFA opened in my town and the furor over them being anti-gay died down.