Leaders of seven LGBT student organizations at Emory University sent a letter today to school administrators decrying the ongoing presence of Chick-fil-A on the Decatur campus and asking Emory to end its "contractual relationship" with the fast food chain immediately.
Dan Cathy, president of Chick-fil-A, reiterated his restaurant chain's support for "Biblical families" — and you can be damned sure that does not include supporting same-sex couples and our families, despite hints maybe they didn't hate us.
When it comes to Biblical families, does that mean Mr. Cathy supports the ones where the wife has to be a virgin when married? The ones where a man can marry many women? And the many other weird (according to today's standards) combinations the Bible endorsed?
In case you are still interested in the ongoing saga of Chick-fil-A and its anti-gay mission (but seriously, you all should know by now they do not care about LGBT people and our civil rights), here's a video clip of Cathy being interviewed by Atlanta news station WXIA:
I was bombarded with Facebook messages and emails. Everyone sent me the same couple of links. An organization in Chicago claimed Chick-fil-A had seen the light of reason and kindness, and intended to change their ways. “Yaaay,” said my friends and colleagues. “Just wait,” I replied.
Turns out the policy in question was merely a reminder to Chick-fil-A employees (and the country) that the company treats all of their customers equally. I have never doubted that Chick-fil-A is willing to take my gay money. My problem is that they then use my gay money to fight against my gay rights. This practice remains unchanged.
I understand people love their damn waffle fries, but I’m gonna need y’all to let this company go. You just can’t fix some folks, and interacting with them will only frustrate you and embolden them. I will give you an example.
Remember when the Chicago alderman dug in and said he would oppose the building of a new Chick-fil-A in his community because of its anti-gay stances, specifically statements made by Dan Cathy that he opposes gay marriage?
Well, that alderman, Joe Moreno, says now he's fine with the Atlanta-based restaurant building in his neighborhood after he says the chain agreed to include an LGBT inclusion statement in its internal documents. More importantly, he says, he also was told by Chick-fil-A officials that Winshape would no longer donate to anti-gay causes, according to a story in the Chicago Tribune. Winshape, the nonprofit organization of Chick-fil-A, has donated millions to anti-gay causes over the years giving rise to LGBT anger and boycotts.
Students and alumni at Atlanta's Emory University are ramping up concerns about the school's connections with Chick-fil-A, the chicken chain known for funding anti-gay causes.
"Make chicken, not judgements," reads an anti Chick-fil-A flyer now posted on campus.
Most Emory students were not on campus when the latest round of controversy over Chick-fil-A heated up in mid-July, when Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy told a Christian media outlet that his company is “guilty as charged” on opposing marriage rights for same-sex couples.
Now that fall semester is underway, opposition to the relationship between Emory — arguably one of the most LGBT-inclusive campuses in the Southeast — and Chick-fil-A is growing.
By the time this newspaper hits stands, it will be more than two weeks since thousands lined up outside Chick-fil-A restaurants, answering the call of Mike Huckabee, the failed GOP presidential candidate turned conservative commentator, to celebrate “Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day” Aug. 1 to thank the chain for being “willing to take a stand for the Godly values we espouse.”
It will be about two weeks since LGBT people held their own counter-protests, ranging from kiss-ins at Chick-fil-A restaurants (Aug. 3) to a day of support for Starbucks and other gay-friendly corporations (Aug. 7), and even a day dedicating to backing locally owned “gay-loving” businesses instead (Aug. 8).
In that time, gay couples haven’t broken up and turned heterosexual, Christian marriages haven’t suddenly grown stronger, and public opinion hasn’t been shifted from its seemingly inexorable — though slow — progress toward justice for LGBT people.
It was a very small crowd that showed up at the Chick-fil-A on Piedmont Road near the Lindbergh MARTA station. Jimmy Moss, 39, and his partner Sebastian Steele, 38, took a photo of themselves with their smartphone at about 12:30 p.m. Friday. They said they wanted to show their family and friends that eating at Chick-fil-A is not just about free speech.
"I've seen lot of my family and friends on Facebook and they really didn't understand when they come to Chick-fil-A that they were supporting not just freedom of speech but actually giving money to a company that gives money that keeps me from having rights," Steele said.
"I felt strongly about it and wanted to get a picture of us. We've been together seven years,and had a civil union seven years ago. And for better or worse, for richer or poorer, we've done all of that and I think that's what marriage is all about and that's what we got," Steele added.