SPEAK OUT: Chick-Fil-A Sees Backlash to Anti-Gay Marriage Stance
The company has received major backlash after its president made anti-gay marriage remarks in several interviews.
Everyone’s favorite childhood puppets are taking a stand for gay marriage.
The Jim Henson Company – creator of the Muppets -- announced recently that it would no longer do business with Chick-Fil-A following recent anti-gay marriage comments made by the popular chicken company’s president, Dan Cathy.
“The Jim Henson Company has celebrated and embraced diversity and inclusiveness for over fifty years and we have notified Chick-Fil-A that we do not wish to partner with them on any future endeavors,” the organization, whose namesake grew up in University Park and attended University of Maryland, wrote on its Facebook page.
“Lisa Henson, our CEO is personally a strong supporter of gay marriage and has directed us to donate the payment we received from Chick-Fil-A to GLAAD,” the post concludes.
Their announcement came after Cathy made some very public remarks – both in print and on the radio – affirming his stance on the subject.
"We are very much supportive of the family -- the biblical definition of the family unit,” Cathy said in an interview with the Baptist Press last week. “We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that.”
In addition, The Washington Post reported that in a recent interview on the Ken Coleman radio show, Cathy said that “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.”
Those comments, among others, have prompted a wave of backlash from various organizations and people – including the mayor of Boston, Thomas Menino, who told the Boston Herald he would keep Chick-Fil-A out of the city.
“If they need licenses in the city, it will be very difficult — unless they open up their policies,” Menino said.
Chick-Fil-A has 45 locations throughout Maryland, including stores in Westminster, Columbia, Laurel and Largo.
Now, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee has announced his support for the restaurant franchise. On Sunday, he created an event on Facebook encouraging people to show their support and appreciation for Chick-Fil-A.
"The goal is simple: Let's affirm a business that operates on Christian principles and whose executives are willing to take a stand for the Godly values we espouse by simply showing up and eating at Chick-Fil-A on Wednesday, August 1," he wrote on the event page, which currently has over 95,000 attending.
Will you show up next Wednesday to support Huckabee's campaign? Do you think Cathy should have to rethink his policies? Tell us in our poll and in the comments.
Gabrielle Donnald
1:19 pm on Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Chick-fil-A owners have a right to their opinions, and I have a right to shop elsewhere.
Nicholas
2:38 pm on Tuesday, July 24, 2012
This is not about "thought police," or being "intolerant" of Cathy's disapproval of gay relationships. Chick-Fil-A is donating a portion of their profits to groups that are trying to get LGBT people killed; he is donating to these same hate groups: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iLSaOJjSKMjkATtSLf6piD4SkbQw?docId=c170479896a54b618591a3ce9d2e5283 . In light of that, I really don't care that this business is "tolerant" enough to take gay peoples' money. We can agree to disagree about many things, but if I think I have a right to live, and you disagree, I can't respect that. To do so would literally be my funeral.
Kathy
4:23 pm on Tuesday, July 24, 2012
They have a right to their opinions, as long as they are not discriminating against their employees or their customers. I wouldn't eat there, but that is mainly because the food is terrible.
William Hellmann
5:14 pm on Tuesday, July 24, 2012
I still plan to eat there, it is just a chicken place. They have a right to their opinion and I do not care what they do with their money.
An Nicholas, your ignorant as hell for accusing them of supporting groups that kill gay people. What would you think if Christians accused oreo of wanting to martyr them? I am sick of this level of ignorance coming from gays and Christians over this issue and it is especially bad since I am both. I for one am not going to feed into it. (I am bi technically BTW, just a point to make. Dating a man though. )
K Hollasch
7:36 am on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Will still eat there, Chick-Fil-a offers great service, customer focused employees, healhly food, employs thousands of people. They also have a great track record of donating millions of dollars to charity and working with minority groups in franchising opportunities. They are closed on Sundays so that it's employess can be with their families !
William Hellmann
7:45 am on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Thank you very much. I am glad to hear you say that and it restores my faith in humanity. What these dimwits fail to remember is that chick-fil-a also gives to charities that provide to foreign aid.
I guess though children in third world countries can starve though since certain retards like our friend Nicholas are hung up on one charity they donate to. Sounds fair right? Another reason why even though I am Bi and I date a man, I will never support the LGBT. They are selfish, vindictive, shortsighted, narrow minded, greedy, and do no good for anybody, not even themselves most of the time. I am simply me.
Michele Field
9:36 am on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
If the tables were turned & CFA were responding to the Jim Henson Co in the same manner there would be a tremendous uproar! CFA would be seen as a bully & be accused of misappropriation of funds for the intentional & purposeful disbursement of monies to an organization diametrically opposed to the donor's values - for the sheer intent of politicizing & causing distress to the giver. The appropriate response would be to politely refuse the money. Unfortunately, society thinks it's perfectly acceptable to harass someone who believes differently than they do, thus the prevalence of bullying. They mask their hateful ways as "tolerance" when it is anything but tolerant. Tolerance used to be accepting someone else's belief or ideas as different from yours without having to accept it as truth. We should all be allowed to have our own belief system without being pressured to believe differently. Whatever happened to respectfully & lovingly agreeing to disagree?
William Hellmann
10:05 am on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Amen. I am tired of the total hypocrisy of society. I may not agree with someones beliefs or views but I will defend to the death their right to have them and express them.
Daniel
11:34 am on Thursday, July 26, 2012
Well said Michele! It is a spiritual battle. Many Christians are being made to feel their beliefs are the only intolerable ones. I commend the owners for putting their beliefs into actions such as being closed on Sundays. Some of us can remember the "blue law" when all stores were closed on Sunday's. This was actually following a biblical principle and instituted to allow people to freely worship in their communities. A day of rest! Please support CFA August 1st, buy a lot, and treat yourself to a peach milkshake....enjoy life!
K Hollasch
6:51 pm on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Hope to see you all next Wednesday Aug. 1st at a Chick-Fil-a location ! I can;t wait to have a nice sweet tea to support this american organization that doesn't discriminate and offers many americans a source of employment on NATIONAL CHICK-Fil-A DAY.
K Hollasch
9:33 am on Saturday, July 28, 2012
Even better news for Nicholas and others . A New Chick-Fil-a will be opening in Eldersburg across from Chill's at the intersection of Rt 32 and Georgetown Blvd.
New Jobs, Good Food backed by a Rock solid corporate organization.
Daniel
10:10 am on Saturday, July 28, 2012
Careful K....the peach milkshakes are also bomb! Thanks for news of Eburg opening... cant wait!
Michiel Van Kets
10:37 pm on Sunday, August 26, 2012
Chick-a-fil or any organization is entitled to its own opinion. But I hope that this opinion does not translate to how they will treat their employees. Regardless of orientation, gay people should be treated with respect like anyone else. I don’t have qualms of what they stand for; I just have qualms of how unhealthy the food is. Fast-food is not my cup of tea.
Daniel Anderson
12:16 am on Tuesday, August 28, 2012
"
In the same respect that Chick-A-Fil is entitled to its own opinion, so is the Jim Henson Company. If both organizations don’t agree on a certain matter, and it is no longer beneficial to be ‘together’, then it is just right for both to separate, rather than have a very conflicting stand on any given issue – especially on a serious matter like gay marriage. A ‘divorce’ between the two is just right. "