Many people I’ve spoken to feel that both sides have now completely overplayed their hands on this issue. It seems to be the consensus among those I work alongside who actually work with gay youth and other underserved parts of our community. It was also the consensus at the victory party for the most progressive congressman in the South, which I attended last night. Here is what I will leave you with. A friend of mine posted this as a status on Facebook. I’ve blacked out his name and info (poorly, because A. I am bad at Photoshop and B. I didn’t open up Photoshop and C. Lazy), but you will get the idea:
I love that people have been so engaged on this issue. But, really? None of us are ever going to live or die based on nasty MSG-laden diabetic bigot chicken. Really. Seriously.
All the people who think they’re engaged in politics because they chose not to eat two thousand calories of garbage this week? No. None of this is the real fight. None. Maybe you like Chick-Fil-A. Great. You are really not denying yourself the fatty food you love by choosing McDonald’s or Wendy’s or KFC instead. No, you’re kinda pretty much fine. This is all a distraction.
Should we all be aware that Chick-Fil-A gives millions of dollars to hate groups? YES. Absolutely. We should not spend our money there. The underbelly of America that showed up the other day in hordes to advance their pre-diabetic states at their local Chick-Fil-A won’t be back, at least not that often. It’s a tad too healthy for them. That’s saying a lot, but it’s true.
If you’ve somehow gotten excited about defending your LGBT brothers and sisters based on this stupid chicken joint issue, then I encourage you to please stay, and join a fight that actually matters. Dan Cathy’s opinions on our lives really are irrelevant at the end of the day. What actually matters are the lobbying efforts of the hate groups he supports. Those are the people who fight for the right to bully gay children to suicide. Those people, who Dan Cathy gives money to. Those groups existed long before you knew Dan Cathy’s name, and may continue to exist after Dan Cathy’s arteries slam shut from eating his own product. Maybe.
If they do continue to exist at that point, it’s because lazy-ass people think they’ve done their social good deed by yelling on Facebook about how awful Chick-Fil-A is, without doing anything that is actually real. Without doing something that actually exists. Without doing something that actually matters.
Make your choice. Because if you’re not willing to do anything else, no matter how small your contribution, then you might as well go through that drive-thru and grab you a Bigot With Cheese Combo.
UPDATE: Here are a bunch of uneducated bigots singing “God Bless America” while they’re taking a break from feeding their Diabetes:
The video would make so much more sense if I could see the hidden Hoverounds.
It’s all about the money.
$millions to anti-gay causes. $millions spent on fighting equal rights. $millions that actually affect people’s lives. $millions that look like a cultural war to an LBGT teen.
Cathy can say all he wants. We must continue to say why those $millions hurt us.
Let’s see who wins this war. This skirmish will rumble on but LBGT community won’t easily forget and we have the determination on our side to never give up. Unlike religious extremists, who can’t live on Chick-Fil-A alone.
At one point CFA sales will be back to long term trend or lower hopefully. But LBGT community and our friends will not have gone away from this ANY time soon. This is a HUGE CFA stake in the ground against equal rights. CFA certainly know their target market but this is a huge thing to do – to tie themselves to a sinking ship.
My prediction – in 5 years CFA will quietly drop support of anti-gay causes.
“Near Bakersfield” made my heart perk up. I’m also in the San Joaquin Valley, and we have developed an especially caustic style here (as evidenced by the rather brilliant tag-line: “sitting quietly at the back of the bus, waiting for your cue that we’re allowed to give a s**t”).
Equality Maryland was having a “Combos For Equality” fundraiser on 8/1 (where you can donate the amount of a BigotChicken combo meal(s) to Equality Maryland). I donated, because I can do more than just talk about it on Facebook.
This was easy activism: show up and stuff your fat face. There was no way this could really fail but I’m still angry at their obnoxiousness about it. I hope a lot of other people get really angry and motivated.
If you stage an event for Americans that involves eating, you have won more than half the battle for ensuring a great turnout. The United States didn’t become the fattest nation on earth by its people turning down opportunities to eat.
One final word, please: I’m noticing “I just like the chicken” or “I just like to eat there” comments on social media within the last few days. These people may have enjoyed their chicken sammiches on Wednesday but maybe there was a little bit of an aftertaste by the weekend.