Chick-Fil-A: Against Gay Marriage

The fast food chain finally owns up to its anti-gay reputation

Chick-Fil-A's endorsement of anti-gay organizations has led activists to spoof ads.

In an interview with the Baptist Press, Chick-fil-A’s COO Dan Cathy admitted that the fast food chain is definitely against gay marriage. “Guilty as charged,” he said. And while he says he’s careful about calling his a Christian business, that he does apply biblical law to each of the restaurant franchises.

“As an organization we can operate on biblical principles,” he told the publication. “So that is what we claim to be. [We are] based on biblical principles, asking God and pleading with God to give us wisdom on decisions we make about people and the programs and partnerships we have. And He has blessed us.”

In the past, Cathy denied that the restaurant chain had a beef with gay folks, but this latest interview might explain why Chick-fil-A has donated upwards of several million dollars to antigay groups, including the Family Research Council and Marriage and Family Foundation. Both organizations tout reparative therapy as a way to erase homosexuality. And both oppose equal LGBT rights.

In recent years, Chick-fil-A’s presence on college campuses has been met with protest. One student at New York University started a petition in hopes of ending the school’s relationship with the food chain. And most recently, Chick-fil-A’s bid to open a restaurant on Northeastern University’s campus failed.

The chain also came under fire when it sponsored a relationship seminar here in Pennsylvania in which same-sex couples were banned. They were also criticized for anti-gay ads that were posted online.

“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,” Cathy said in the interview.

But when you consider where your money’s going, is it really worth eating a chicken sandwich?