Eating a chicken sandwich from Chick-fil-A became not only a sign of hunger but a portrayal of beliefs for many this summer. This is because the media discovered CEO Dan Cathy donates a portion of his profits to Christian, anti-gay organizations.
“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,” Cathy told The Baptist Press. “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.”
Evidence of Chick-fil-A operating on Biblical principles is found in their policies. Chick-fil-A closes each Sunday so its employees have the opportunity to attend church, a decision their website calls practical as well as spiritual.
According to huffingtonpost.com, Chick-fil-A profits have benefitted organizations such as Exodus International, Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council. Both Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council openly defend the sanctity of heterosexual marriages. Chick-fil-A’s website says corporate purpose is to glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to them and to have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.
Since Cathy’s comment was published, there has been great public outcry. People urged cities and college campuses to shut down their Chick-fil-A restaurants. Across the country, those denouncing Chick-fil-A’s beliefs participated in ‘Kiss Day,’ where homosexual couples visited restaurants and protested by kissing each other. Mia Quintero, senior and former Chick-fil-A employee, experienced a protest similar to this while at work. A couple stood outside the Chick-fil-A holding signs for about an hour before leaving.
“Gays and lesbians went and protested, but only one pair came to our [location],” Quintero said. “They were just standing up for what they believed in.”
In support of Chick-fil-A, people across the nation bought meals from the restaurants Aug. 1. Quintero saw this happen as well.
“There were a lot people that came that day. It was crazy. The drive-thru was backed up,” Quintero said. “But the people were really friendly and would talk to the manager a bunch. The manager didn’t really bring [the controversy] up. The people that came out that day didn’t really talk about it much either.”
Supporters of Cathy argue one man’s hate speech is another man’s free speech. But for Alex Zarrick, senior, Chick-fil-A’s beliefs are offensive. Since she discovered Chick-fil-A donates money to anti-gay organizations, she has refused to buy their meals.
“My parents raised me to always treat people equally whether their race or gender or sexual orientation. I am very much for gay rights and anti-discrimination, so I don’t support giving money to companies supporting a hate group,” Zarrick said. “If you believe everyone should be treated equally, you shouldn’t give money to people who aren’t treating everyone equally.”
Since Zarrick has stopped purchasing food from Chick-fil-A, she has also tried to convince her friends to do so, though she has not been completely successful.
“I said mostly things like, ‘How would you like it if they were supporting a group that’s against you or someone you love? Anytime you spend money there, the money goes to hate groups,’” Zarrick said. “They respect my opinions and don’t go when I’m with them, but they’ll go when I’m not there.”
Grace Randolph, senior, continues to eat Chick-fil-A the majority of the time she eats out because, despite the controversy, she enjoys the food.
“Obviously it’s delicious. The seasoning and breading is different than other places. It’s just really good,” Randolph said. “On one hand, I’m a big supporter of gay rights. But on the other hand, it doesn’t make their food any less good. I go there for the food, not the ideology.”
