It has been years since I\u2019ve eaten a chicken sandwich at Chik-Fil-A, and I sure do miss it. I used to whine when they weren\u2019t open on Sundays and I was craving a chicken sandwich with pickles, covered in mayonnaise and hot sauce. I was happy to eat there because I don\u2019t have a problem with Christians. Many of my good friends and fellow board members at the GLSO are Christians. But once it became clear that Chik-Fil-A donated money to organizations who advocated against GLBT rights, I realized they were \u201cthat kind\u201d of Christian organization and I knew I couldn\u2019t support them anymore.
\nFor me, voting with my pocketbook has been the right thing to do ever since I realized that Chik-Fil-A was funneling donations through the Winshape Foundation to such hate groups as \u201cFocus on the Family.\u201d For others, the news of their hatred took longer to sink in. Then, in July, the head of Chik-Fil-A, Dan Cathy, came out clearly and publicly against gay marriage.
\nSince then, the question of Chik-Fil-A\u2019s bias against the GLBTQQIA community has taken center stage. The legions of people refusing to eat at their restaurant have grown, and mayors of major US cities have spoken against Chik-Fil-A opening a restaurant in their cities. Sadly, there has been a backlash even in our own community. I\u2019ve heard people saying that they don\u2019t care and will still eat at Chik-Fil-A because they like the food. I\u2019ve heard them justify the statements of hatred as \u201cfree speech.\u201d It\u2019s pretty frustrating when your own people just don\u2019t get it.<\/p>\n
To be clear, Dan Cathy absolutely has the right to freedom of speech, and that includes any anti-gay hate he wants to spew. Our American soldiers, both the straight ones and the ones serving openly after the repeal of Don\u2019t-Ask-Don\u2019t-Tell, serve to protect our freedom to speak whatever opinions we want. But that doesn\u2019t mean that our community should support his hate with our dollars. There are plenty of restaurant chains that serve tasty food, and welcome every person, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation. We should be standing behind our community by supporting those businesses, instead of businesses built on a foundation of hate.
\nI\u2019ve been asked by a few folks in the recent days what the GLSO is going to do about the Chik-Fil-A controversy. We are blessed here in Lexington to have a Fairness Ordinance that protects us from discrimination in public accommodations, and the GLSO is already embroiled in a conflict at the Lexington Fayette Human Rights Commission with another business regarding anti-gay discrimination. Fortunately for Chik-Fil-A, they have not discriminated against GLBT customers or employees, to my knowledge. They\u2019re happy to take your money in exchange for their food, and then use your money to fund organizations that are intent on keeping you in the position of second-class citizens.
\nThe GLSO will not be organizing protests or filing complaints against Chik-Fil-A. We\u2019ll be doing what we always do: educate people. If you\u2019re still eating at Chik-Fil-A because you don\u2019t care about politics and you just like to eat tasty chicken, let this serve as your wake-up call. The next time you\u2019re sitting at one of our local bars having a cocktail, think about the fact that the money you paid for your Chik-Fil-A lunch went directly towards making sure that the person on the other side of the bar from you can\u2019t marry the person he or she loves. If you care about the GLBTQQIA community that you\u2019re a part of, then you owe it to us to make the tiny sacrifices that demonstrate that you care more about your community than about a chicken sandwich.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It has been years since I\u2019ve eaten a chicken sandwich at Chik-Fil-A, and I sure do miss it. I used to whine when they weren\u2019t open on Sundays and I was craving a chicken sandwich with pickles, covered in mayonnaise…<\/p>\n