Chick-fil-A is ruffling feathers again.
The
Georgia-based chicken-sandwich chain has long been criticized over its
contributions to groups with anti-LGBTQ stances. In March, the San
Antonio city council voted to ban the chain from its international
airport, citing its history of LGBTQ issues, and the Buffalo, N.Y.,
airport followed suit a month later.
So on Monday, the Chick-fil-A Foundation (the chain’s charitable arm)
announced that it’s introducing “a more focused giving approach” for next year.
It will “deepen its giving to a smaller number of organizations working
exclusively in the areas of education, homelessness and hunger,” and
has committed $9 million to organizations such as the Junior Achievement
USA, which fosters work-readiness and financial literary skills for
students through 12th grade, as well as Covenant House International,
which provides outreach to 70,000 homeless, runaway and trafficked young
people each year.
But it won’t be making multiyear commitments
to charities anymore, and will now reassess its philanthropy on a
year-to-year basis. And that includes not renewing its annual donations
to the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes,
as reported by the Washington Post,
which are two religious organizations that have made controversial
statements about homosexuality and same-sex marriage in the past.
But rather than praising Chick-fil-A for being more inclusive and more supportive of gay rights, many people on Twitter
TWTR, +0.81%
— including some identifying as
Christian and conservative — are slamming the chain for chickening out
in the face of a “left-wing mob.”
“You caved to the extremists and are no longer a Christian company,” wrote one.
Even people who support
Chick-fil-A’s move expressed skepticism over whether the restaurant is
just paying lip service to LGBTQ groups. Indeed, its CEO, Dan Cathy,
famously said he did not support same-sex marriage in 2012.
Still others complained that the Salvation Army is not an anti-LGBTQ organization at all. While fact-checking site
Snopes
notes that the Salvation Army’s Handbook of Doctrine has referenced
biblical passages that condemned sexual intimacy between members of the
same sex in the past, the Salvation Army has
rejected such accusations of discrimination, and has an entire section on its website
devoted to the LGBTQ community, which details how its services are available to all people.
The Salvation Army released a
statement in response on Monday, expressing disappointment at
Chick-fil-A for pulling its donations, and reinforcing its commitment to
the LGBTQ community.
“We’re saddened to learn that a corporate partner
has felt it necessary to divert funding to other hunger, education and
homelessness organizations — areas in which The Salvation Army, as the
largest social services provider in the world, is already fully
committed,” it reads. “We serve more than 23 million individuals a year,
including those in the LGBTQ+ community. In fact, we believe we are the
largest provider of poverty relief to the LGBTQ+ population.” It also
urged the public to “seek the truth before rushing to ill-informed
judgment.”
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes
states on its website, however, that “marriage is exclusively the union of one man and one woman.” And
an employee application
includes a purity statement that reads, “Neither heterosexual sex
outside of marriage nor any homosexual act constitute an alternative
lifestyle acceptable to God. “
Tim Tassopoulos, president and
COO of Chick-fil-A, Inc., sent MarketWatch the following statement by
email in response to the backlash: “Our goal is to donate to the most
effective organizations in the areas of education, homelessness and
hunger. No organization will be excluded from future consideration —
faith-based or non-faith-based.”
Of course, Chick-fil-A is no
stranger to backlash. And maybe it has nothing to worry about here.
After all, despite its history of controversy, Chick-fil-A has been
named America’s favorite fast-food restaurant for the past four years in
a row.
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Here is another article
Evie Fordham,Fox Business
Tue, Nov 19 10:27 AM CST
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Fast-food chain
Chick-fil-A's
devoted conservative fanbase dealt the company some harsh criticism
after it cut off support for three groups that oppose gay marriage and
have drawn the ire of protesters.
The loss of funding from the chain, famous for refusing to open on
Sundays because of its founder's religious beliefs, is significant to
the organizations. In 2017 and 2018, the Chick-fil-A Foundation gave
$2.4 million to the Missouri-based Fellowship of Christian Athletes for
sports camps for underserved youth, and $165,000 to the Salvation Army
to buy Christmas gifts for needy children.
The foundation also gave
$6,000 to the Paul Anderson Youth Homes.
DID CHICK-FIL-A FORGET IT'S CLOSED ON SUNDAY?
Conservatives who stood by the restaurant in 2012 when CEO Dan Cathy
said in several interviews that he didn’t support gay marriage, say the
company has abandoned them. In more recent interviews, Cathy — who is
the son of Chick-fil-A’s founder — has reiterated his personal beliefs
but says he treats all customers with respect.
The Salvation Army said in a statement that it was "saddened" by Chick-fil-A's decision.
"We serve more than 23 million individuals a year, including those in
the LGBTQ+ community," the Salvation Army told FOX Business in a
statement. "In fact, we believe we are the largest provider of poverty
relief to the LGBTQ+ population. When misinformation is perpetuated
without fact, our ability to serve those in need, regardless of sexual
orientation, gender identity, religion or any other factor, is at risk."
"@ChickfilA had invaluable brand loyalty because of their beliefs and
convictions," Newsmax host John Cardillo wrote on Twitter. "Their
customers were brand ambassadors who appreciated that they stood their
ground while the rest of corp. America caved to leftist radicals. Now
they’re just another fast food chicken place.
"Lol. Chick-fil-A's just abandoned the only people who were defending
them against these insatiable woke wolves. Good luck!" conservative
commentator Allie Beth Stuckey wrote on
Twitter.
Chick-fil-A, which operates about 2,400
restaurants, has been also taking heat from gay-rights supporters, which has impeded some of its growth efforts.
Earlier this year, airports in Buffalo, New York and San Antonio
blocked the restaurant from opening at their sites because of the
company’s record on gay rights. Some
college campuses have banned the chain, while students at an Oregon high school
walked out of classes
last week, in part to protest the presence of a Chick-fil-A food truck
at home football games, citing the company's donations to the anti-LGBTQ
charities.
A location in the United Kingdom is also closing because of protests.
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GLAAD, an LGBTQ rights group, said it greeted Monday's news with
"cautious optimism," but said Chick-fil-A has made similar pledges
before.
Drew Anderson, GLAAD's director of campaigns and rapid response, said
if Chick-fil-A wants to be taken seriously, it should disavow its
anti-gay reputation and ensure restaurants are safe for gay employees.
Chick-fil-A has committed $9 million to initiatives supporting
education and fighting homelessness and hunger in 2020, according to
its
website.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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