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Chick-fil-a
Since someone mentioned not knowing about Chick-fil-a, here's the article:
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/07/27/chick-fil-as-controversial-gay-marriage-beef
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The inventors of the chicken sandwich, Chick-Fil-A, are in hot water these days following comments made by their president, Dan Cathy, who said the company was "guilty as charged" in its stance against gay marriage.
The comments sparked a political firestorm across the country, but a closer inspection of Chick-fil-A's roots and its political activities reveal it has made no secret of its conservative values.
The controversy began when Cathy elaborated on his "guilty as charged" comment in an interview on the Atlanta radio program The Ken Coleman show.
"I think we are 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."
First the Jim Henson Co., which provided Muppets toys for Chick-fil-A kids meals, pulled its toys and its partnership with the restaurant. Then the mayors of Boston and Chicago expressed opposition to new Chick-fil-A outlets opening in their cities.
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino wrote a letter to Cathy, posted on the city's Facebook page, condemning his comments and his company's plans to open a restaurant in the city.
"I was angry to learn on the heels of your prejudiced statements about your search for a site to locate in Boston. There is no place for discrimination on Boston's Freedom Trail," the letter reads. "It would be an insult to (Boston's gay couples) and to our city's long history to have a Chick-fil-A across the street from that spot."
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel expressed similar sentiments on the company opening a restaurant in Chicago, saying "Chick-fil-A's values are not Chicago values."
On the other side, Republican politicians such as presidential candidate Rick Santorum and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee defended the restaurant chain and its policies, which include being closed on Sundays.
To anyone one familiar with the family-owned chicken chain, Cathy's views should come as little surprise. All of the chain's 1,600 restaurants nationwide are closed on Sundays, the Christian Sabbath, to allow employees to "worship if they choose to," a decision that was "as much practical as spiritual" according to the company's website.
How the company and its employees spend their money further affirms this conservative mantra. Its charitable arm, WinShape, gave nearly $2 million to groups opposing gay marriage in 2010. The owning family, the Cathy's, also contribute heavily to fellow conservatives.
The Cathy's have contributed more than $81,000 to state and federal politicians since 1990, according to the Center for Responsive Politics and National Institute on Money in State Politics. All but $3,250 of those contributions went to Republicans, all of whom held anti-gay marriage views.
Chick-Fil-A's founder and CEO, S. Truett Cathy, led the way in political contributions. He has given more than $45,000 since 1990 while his son Dan, whose comments sparked the current controversy, has given more than $15,000 over that time. Top recipients of the Cathy's largesse include former Sen. Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina, former Rep. Mac Collins of Georgia, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia and one-time U.S. Senate candidate Herman Cain.
Collins voted for the Defense of Marriage Act, the federal law defining marriage as between a man and a woman. Dole voted for a Constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, and both Cain and Gingrich were outspoken opponents of same-sex marriage during their presidential runs this year.
The company's employees, most of whom reside in the Southeast where the great majority of the chain's restaurants are located, lean heavily Republican with their political contributions as well. Of the $32,000 that Chick-Fil-A employees have contributed to federal politicians this cycle, only $2,050 has gone to Democrats, according to CRP.
Chick-fil-A received bad news Friday morning when it learned that its vice president of public relations, Don Perry, died suddenly. WRBL of Columbus, Georgia reports that Perry died of a heart attack.
"Don was a member of our Chick-fil-A family for nearly 29 years," the company said in a statement. "For many of you in the media, he was the spokesperson for Chick-fil-A. He was a well-respected and well-liked media executive in the Atlanta and University of Georgia communities, and we will all miss him. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family."
My three sons!
Re: Chick-fil-a
Frankly, I don't care what a Corporation believes in, or doen't believe in. I believe in freedom of speech - which is what was clearly exercised here.
Considering the company's strong Christian beliefs (won't open on Sundays, etc.), I'm really not surprised about their stance on gay marriage.
I have gay friends, whom I absolutely adore. Personally, while I'm really not sure where I stand on gay marriage, I support my friends and their lifestyle.
This "controversy" isn't going to stop me from eating at Chick-fil-A one way or another. If others are so offended that they won't frequent the business, that's entirely up to them and I'm not going to judge them for that either.
My three sons!
1. I don't like chick-fil-a, and it was that way before this came out. Two reasons. Peanut oil and waffle fries. Ew. the only ones I ever had were not even crispy. Plus it is fast food. So Meh.
2. Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs. This guy is very religious. And I always knew that. Not surprised he is opposed to gay marriage.
3. If we all stopped supporting companies with whom we disagreed with their CEOs on some political/social matter we would be making a lot of stuff at home. That is if you can find a supplier that complied with your opinions.
Had Chick-fil-a gone and banned gay people from eating there, or somehow encroached on their civil liberties it would be different. Did you see the piece on the Daily show about this? It was spot on.
All that being said, I would rather eat chipolte.
totally agree. i don't care what chik fil a believes in. their nuggets rule.
The mayor of DC said Chick Fil A was "peddling hate chicken". Hmmm, ok.
I agree with other poster. The CEO is very religious so I'm not surprised with his statement.
I'm not completely on either side of this topic but I will say that I'm pretty put off with the Kim Kardashians of the world and their disrespect for marriage. Thats embarrassing.
*And yes, their nuggets do rule!*
I totally expected to be in the minority on this. Knowing that it's a Christian company that still keeps their restaurants closed on Sundays, I wasn't too surprised to hear that they're against gay marriage.
If I had to agree with the politics of every company I buy from, I'm pretty sure I'd have a fairly short list of options. While I don't necessarily agree with their decision to speak out about their beliefs, I feel that the first amendment allows them to do so.
I rarely go to CFA, but I'm not going to make the decision never to enter their restaurant again because of the company chose to share an opinion on gay marriage either.
This is a really emotionally charged issue for me, so sometimes it's difficult for me to articulate in a way without being very emotional about it.
I do not care what Chick-Fil-A or any other company believes. Being a Christian company, I always assumed that I was on the the total opposite end of the political spectrum as they were, no big deal. I freaking loved Chick-Fil-A! However, when I learned they donated millions of dollars to anti-gay groups (one being a certified hate group), that crossed the line for me. They aren't just having an opinion, they are taking action against others. They are financially supporting organizations who's purpose is to obstruct the civil liberties of American citizens. This is more than an "opinion" or just about politics. This is more than a fast food restaurant. This is about discrimination and being hateful. I cannot support that in any way.
If someone doesn't believe in marriage equality, the solution to that is to marry someone of the opposite sex. The solution is not to deny others equal rights because of your beliefs.
this, totally.
Will someone please inform the mayors of Boston, Chicago (and New York, for the formula and soft drink controversies) that they are mayors, not kings. They are getting WAY too big for their britches. STFU, mayors.
I am a Republican who SUPPORTS gay marriage. I hate Chick Fil A's food (except for their milkshakes), and this controversy won't make me more or less likely to patronize them. I was aware of their political leanings and activism before the controversy.
I don't think the company did anything wrong, besides holding a view that is at odds with the mainstream media's and that of some self-righteous politicians. Corporate giving to support political and social causes is nothing new.
On the positive side, it's good for people to be aware that when they spend their money at any business, the business may use those profits to support causes that the customer may not like. Do your research if this matters to you.
I admit I didn't follow the story so closely because we don't eat there so it wasn't a concern. I wasn't aware his donations included the hate group. That would change my buying habits- since there is harm being made with the companies profits. FWIW I am totally for equal rights for the gay community in the eyes of the government. If a church does not want to sanction that marriage that is their business.
I love some chicken from there, but I agree with your 3rd point 110%!!!
Totally agree, except for the hating CFA part.
I guess my view comes from a historic perspective. Henry Ford was a huge anti-semite. Bayer/Mercedes/Volkswagen all supported Hitler and his "final solution". Dan Cathy isn't the first CEO to have ties what most would consider hate groups. It is right, no not at all. But, the first amendment allows people to hold these beliefs and to speak about them publicly without fear of government actions against you (ie banning franchises because of views of the owner) although we are free to agree or disagree with him. Look at all of the lawsuits that the KKK has won over the years.
I agree that there is a lack of equal rights for the LGBT community and that it is an outrage but you have to change the thinking of a lot of fundamentalists. Look at what happened in NC when there was a vote on gay marriage. This is a very similar battle to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, and that battle is still going on 50+ years later. Just because there are laws saying it is legal doesn't mean you can change peoples' thinking.
I'm totally with this. He has every right to his opinions. It's the donations and the groups he supported that I am NOT okay with.
Besides... I'd never stand in line for 30 minutes for a fast food chicken sandwich.
For me, the issue is not about what the CEO believes or says. He has the right to make whatever bigoted statement he would like and to donate his personal money to whatever organization he wants. And I agree that these various mayors have no business threatening CFA with not granting them the right to open a business in their town. You can't deny someone a permit based on their free speech.
That said, it crosses a line for me when corporate profits are donated to an anti-gay group. That means that the more people patronize the business, the more money is being donated to an anti-gay group on behalf of the company. In my mind, this is very different than a CEO deciding where to make his or her charitable donations.
I know that some people have stopped shopping at Target because a CEO or upper level executive made a large donation to an anti-gay candidate. Personally, I don't think I can make decisions about what businesses I patronize based on the habits of individuals who run a company. I don't necessarily share political beliefs with my employers...and honestly there are plenty of issues on which my husband and I disagree. I don't cut ties with people based on differences of personal opinion.
But when a company makes it clear that they support a position with funding which I find to be bigoted and wrong, then I will choose not to support that company with my money.
I'm sure there are people who have stopped shopping at JcPenney because they, as a company, have chosen to be supportive of same-sex couples and GBLT individuals. We all have that right and we all have to decide where the line is that we are or are not willing to cross.
They have donated money to the Family Research Council which has been certified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. They have also made donations to Focus on Family which used to partner with the FRC and Georgia Family Council which is a FRC affliate.
Ditto...here's also a link to the SPLC's map of active U.S. hate groups:
http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/hate-map
Family Research Council = D. C.