After years of controversy surrounding Chick-Fil-A and their support of anti-LGBTQ charities, the national fast-food chain is once again in the news. Since major outcry from the general public in 2019, the Chick-Fil-A company no longer donates to any organizations that espouse anti-LGBTQ policies
The public clearly hasn’t forgotten about Chick-Fil-A’s past transgressions, and the company’s CEO Dan Cathy hasn’t exactly kept his promise about donations.
The students of Notre Dame, a Catholic university in Ohio, drafted a letter, titled “Keeping Chick-fil-A Away,” to the school when it was announced that one of the new eateries being considered for placement on campus was Chick-Fil-A. The petition opposing Chick-Fil-A’s presence at Notre Dame received over 180 signatures after it was published in the campus publication The Observer.
The letter’s focal point, which exploded across social media, was in response to the business’s history with the LGBTQ community. “Our first concern relates to Chick-fil-A’s long history of antagonism toward the LGBTQ+ community,” the letter stated. “Over the past two decades, Chick-fil-A has donated significant sums to groups that oppose LGBTQ+ rights.”
Then came an unusual development, seemingly out of nowhere: South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsay Graham, not at all thrilled with the developments but having no jurisdiction over the state of Ohio, jumped in to grab some of the spotlight when he vowed to go to battle for the company. On July 14, Graham tweeted, “I want everyone in South Carolina and across America to know I have Chick fil-A’s back. I hope we don’t have to, but I will go to war for the principles Chick fil-A stands for. God bless Chick fil-A!”
Within the past few decades, Chick-Fil-A has attracted attention not only for its donation-related history, but also for its biblical-based business policies. The restaurant does not open on Sundays and continues to be run by Cathy, a devout Christian, who offered up this little nugget of wisdom back in 2012, prior to the Supreme Court decision on marriage equality: “We’re inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at him and say we know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage. And I pray God’s mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude that thinks we have the audacity to redefine what marriage is all about.”
Following much debate, Notre Dame University released a statement confirming they will allow Chick-fil-A to join the various restaurants that provide food on campus for students. From their press release:
“Notre Dame has examined the concerns surrounding Chick-Fil-A’s charitable giving, discussed them with company representatives, campus partners and students and believes that Chick-fil-A has responded to these issues in a satisfactory manner.”
Never one to miss an opportunity to grab even more attention from a growing brouhaha, Graham took to Twitter once again to respond to the issue continuing to unfold in Ohio, even though it seemingly has nothing to do with his job as a senator from South Carolina.
He tweeted: “Big win! Great to hear Chick-fil-A is coming to Notre Dame. Well done to all the patriots at Notre Dame who stood up for Chick-fil-A and against Cancel Culture.”
While the school apparently believes Chick-Fil-A as a company is no longer involved in anti-gay efforts, their assessment is not entirely correct.
Chick-Fil-A CEO Cathy (worth over seven billion dollars) is among the wealthiest individuals in the country. Although no donations are being made to any anti-gay efforts or organizations by Chik-Fil-A the company, Cathy, as an individual, continues to donate money to the National Christian Charitable Foundation,
What’s the harm in that, you may ask?
The National Christian Charitable Foundation is at the forefront of funding an attempt to try to derail the Equality Act, which would make it illegal to discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in most settings on a federal level. The bill is supported by more than two-thirds of Americans and Biden has promised to sign the final version,
Cathy, who is happy for his company to take your money when you buy a chicken sandwich (regardless of your sexual orientation or gender identity), seems to be continuing his efforts to rob the LGBTQ community of a life free of discrimination.
Join us: This story is made possible with the help of qnotes’ contributors. If you’d like to show your support so qnotes can provide more news, features and opinion pieces like this, give a regular or one-time donation today.