No, the title doesn't mean what you think it means. I think the people who are confused are really Martha C. White and NBC news. They might have all the facts, but all of their quotes are very biased. Read through and I'll explain at the end.
Brandon Dill / AP
Sheila Smith wears a sign showing support for Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy outside the fast food chain's store on Union Avenue in Memphis, Tenn. Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2012.
Chick-fil-A is playing a high-stakes game of chicken, as both fans and foes of the food chain question what its new stance on gay rights really means.
Corporate reputation experts warned that Chick-fil-A was quickly alienating potential customers across the political spectrum.
"These issues are ... very difficult for brands to navigate through," said Tim Calkins, marketing professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. "They could've stuck to their positions and backed it up. The fact they haven't done that says clearly this whole issue has become a problem for them."
The Atlanta-based chain became embroiled in the gay marriage debate over the summer when president Dan Cathy's spoke about his belief in "traditional" marriage in an interview with a Baptist publication. Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee called for a "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day," which drew droves of supporters to the company's stores. In response, gay-rights groups organized a "Same-Sex Kiss-In" later that week.
This week, Chicago-based advocacy group The Civil Rights Agenda announced that city Alderman Proco Joe Moreno, who had voiced objections to the proposed opening of a Chick-fil-A restaurant in his ward, had reversed his opinion after the fast-food operator had a change of heart.
Chick-fil-A said it would "treat every person with honor, dignity and respect -- regardless of their beliefs, race, creed, sexual orientation and gender." Although this was characterized by TCRA and Moreno as the first time Chick-fil-A put this in writing, the company used almost identical wording in a statement it issued back in July.
The company also pledged that its nonprofit arm, the WinShape Foundation, would "not support[ing] organizations with political agendas," and said, "our intent is not to engage in political or social debates."
Through WinShape, "Chick-Fil-A has donated more than $5 million since 2003 to anti-gay groups, including those that have been designated 'hate groups' by the Southern Poverty Law Center," according to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.
Initially, company spokespeople would not comment, referring only to the statement issued by the company following the furor that erupted over the summer.
Chick-fil-A says it will stop funding anti-gay groups
Chick-fil-A tried to keep the agreement under wraps, said Rick Garcia, TCRA senior policy advisor. "My perspective is they want to have it both ways," he said. “They’re getting opposition all over major metropolitan areas particularly in the north... The dilemma for them is will this hurt them with the right wingers?"
The answer is probably yes. "In my last meeting with company executives, I corroborated what they told me back in January: that donations to anti-gay groups, which most concerned the LGBT community, have ceased," Moreno's statement said. Since the news broke, Chick-fil-A's Facebook page has been inundated with angry messages from people who say they are now-former supporters of the chain.
Moreno said he got verbal assurances from company executives, and he said the verbiage in the release and similar wording validated his claim, although gay rights were never specifically mentioned. He said Chick-fil-A executives also let him look at an internal accounting document from the foundation that showed no donations to groups that oppose gay marriage during this calendar year.
It's unlikely that the majority of Chick-fil-A supporters who stood on line, some for hours, in the heat to buy food as part of "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day" last month knew that the company had quietly stopped funding the anti-gay marriage cause some eight months earlier. Chick-fil-A did not release sales figures but said that the event was a "record" day for sales; one independent analyst estimated that the company could have seen a 50 percent increase in sales that day.
Moreno said he was satisfied that the references to political and social issues, along with the pledge to respect all sexual orientations in Chick-fil-A's statements, reflected a commitment to stop funding anti-gay groups. He said the somewhat vague verbiage — same-sex marriage, for instance, is never specifically mentioned as an issue — was actually better in that it implied a more inclusive brand of tolerance on Chick-fil-A's part.
Moreno said he was satisfied that the references to political and social issues, along with the pledge to respect all sexual orientations in Chick-fil-A's statements, reflected a commitment to stop funding anti-gay groups. He said the somewhat vague verbiage — same-sex marriage, for instance, is never specifically mentioned as an issue — was actually better in that it implied a more inclusive brand of tolerance on Chick-fil-A's part.
He admitted, though, that relying on the company's own assertions about its donation practices was a bit of a gamble. "I'm not naive," he said, adding that the company could still "try to find a way around" keeping its word.
He didn't have to wait long. On the same day that his press release was dated, Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy Tweeted a photo of a WinShape fundraiser called Ride for the Family, which ends Friday. The event's registration page instructed participants to make the $3,500 registration fee payable to the Marriage and Family Foundation, Inc., an organization founded by Dan Cathy's brother. Its headquarters have the same mailing address as Chick-fil-A's.
This prompted a response from TCRA. "Although The Civil Rights Agenda is pleased with the initial outcome of Chick-fil-A’s agreement... more work needs to be done in holding Chick-fil-A accountable to their promises," it said in a statement Thursday evening.
"I’m discouraged by that behavior," Moreno said about Cathy's Tweet. "He has the right to have bigoted beliefs," he added.
Supporters and detractors alike can only continue to wonder where the brand's allegiances lie. Chick-fil-A issued a statement Thursday, saying "We want to provide some context and clarity in around who we are, what we believe and our priorities in relation to corporate giving." It went onto say, "Our intent is not to support political or social agendas," but it didn't mention gay rights or gay-marriage causes specifically.
"It seems to me that their change in position is half-hearted and does not seem either genuine or trustworthy," said Marcia Horowitz, senior executive vice president at public relations firm Rubenstein Associates, Inc. "As a result, it may well further inflame the issue, with both sides now dissatisfied with their response."
Now that you've read it I'd like to make a few points of my own. I think I speaks for all Christians out there, and I don't mean to put words in other people's mouths. This is simply the way I see things, and I think there are people out there who agree with me. Correct me if I'm wrong, please correct me, I'm willing to consider practically anything.
The main thing I want to point out is I don't really think Dan Cathy is a bigot. The main foundation that he is standing on is that gay marriage is wrong. He never says anything about hating gay people. It is very possible to disagree with people and still have a mutual, if not friendly relationship with them. That is what I feel is happening with Dan Cathy. I don't believe that he would hold a grudge against anyone. If a gay or lesbian couple walked into Chick-fil-a I don't personally believe they would be treated any differently than a christian family would be. There are, most assuredly, exceptions to this, as there are with all things. People tend to be that way, they change a lot. You can't hold against Dan Cathy every little thing that his employees do. I understand that same-sex marriage is a hotly debated political topic, and I understand that most people try to stay out of stuff like this, but there are some things that you just can't make exceptions for. I am personally in agreement with everything that I've read Dan Cathy saying, but I haven't met him, so I can't judge his character qualities. You'll have to judge him for yourselves, I just hope that you will keep an open mind. Christians don't hate homo-sexual people, we try to follow Jesus' example, that is what "Christian" really means. Jesus taught that we should love everyone, but he also taught that God made marriage for one man and one woman, and anyone who goes against that is going to run into some problems. All people have free will, and no Christian should hold anyone else's beliefs against him, though I'm sure there are some that do, the basic principle in Christianity is love. If you dug a little deeper than what news reporters and magazines say I'm almost completely certain you would find that the Chick-fil-a Appreciation day was not organized to show hate to gays or lesbians, just simply to make a stand on what they believe to be right. However if you researched the reasons behind the "Same-sex Kiss-in" I highly doubt you would find the same, or anything better as they would like you to believe. In summary the world is very hateful, Christians typically are not. That's not what we stand for and that is not why we are making a stand. If you are a Christ-follower remember that you are representing Jesus and try to make wise decisions.
