FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2012
Contact: Wayne Besen, Executive Director
Phone: 917-691-5118
E-Mail: wbesen@truthwinsout.org
Company Says It Will No Longer Fund Anti-Gay Political Organizations, Says TWO
Burlington, Vt. – Truth Wins Out called on Chick-fil-A executives to very publicly announce its allege
d divorce from anti-gay organizations and confirm its new pledge not to fund homophobic political groups though its Winshape Foundation. This is important because when TWO attended the Values Voter Summit in Washington last week, “Chick-fil-A” had become a code phrase for anti-gay activists disapproval of LGBT equality.
“Chick-fil-A is now viewed by the extreme right as its Alamo – a defiant fortress against corporate America’s widespread embrace of LGBT equality,” said Truth Wins Out’s Executive Director Wayne Besen. “It is a big victory if the company is no longer holding the banner of intolerance and is back in the business of poultry instead of anti-gay politics.”
According to reports, Chicago Ald. Proco “Joe” Moreno has struck a deal with Chick-fil-A that will allow the chain to open in his ward, after months of controversy that started with anti-gay comments made by the restaurant’s chief operating officer, Dan Cathy. According to Moreno and The Civil Rights Agenda (TCRA), the company will no longer donate money to anti-gay organizations and has issued a memo about respectful treatment of LGBT employees and customers.
Recently, Chick-fil-A’s Cathy created a furor when he claimed that those who support marriage equality for same sex couples are “inviting God’s judgment on our nation.” The comments caused several mayors of major cities, such as Boston, Chicago, and Washington, DC to express their contempt for the food chain.
The issue reached its apogee when polarizing political figures, such as Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin, sponsored Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day. While the corporation had a single day of huge sales, the controversy badly tarnished the brand and turned the product radioactive in America’s major metropolitan regions.
This controversy extends beyond Cathy’s comments and includes his more than $5 million in donations to anti-gay organizations such as The Family Research Council. His Winshape Foundation has also contributed to Exodus International, which has worked in the past to help people “pray away the gay.”
“The only way for Chick-fil-A to save the long-term viability of its brand is to publicly declare its divorce from anti-gay extremists,” added Besen. “Today’s announcement that it won’t be funding flagrantly anti-gay organizations is a good start and we hope to see more of a commitment to fairness in the future.”
Truth Wins Out is a nonprofit organization that fights anti-LGBT extremism. TWO specializes in turning information into action by organizing, advocating and fighting for LGBT equality.
Dan Cathy should apologize for his gay bashing and admit that he doesn’t have the first clue about “God’s judgment” and that his own judgment sucks.
This company is not going to stop supporting the immoral anti-gay agenda. In the meantime, they will continue to do and say whatever it takes to keep the $$$ flowing in. Because, after all, this has nothing to do with morality and everything to do with profits and $$$.
If the money stream diminishes, how on earth is Cathy going to continue, personally, giving copious amounts of dollars to combat the gay agenda?
I mean, I assume the company pays the man some type of wage, and no doubt he collects premiums from shares no?
Either/or, some percentage of the monies going into the business coffers goes into his personal account no? So, the business will still be supporting anti-gay groups, just through the, um back door as-it-were.
I see a lot of people speculating about what Chick-Fil-A is going to do as if they are afraid gays and lesbians are just waiting for the green light so they can race to buy cooked poultry at this joint. Yeah, well, I wouldn’t be too worried about that.
I recommend everyone instead enjoy the right wing meltdown as they react to a caving that may or may not be happening. Apparently these people really look to a chicken restaurant as a moral leader. My favorite gripe so far was from some person who said he was going to remove the Chick-Fil-A bumper sticker from his car.
Seriously…a Chick-Fil-A bumper sticker?
[...] Here is a Press Release from Truth Wins Out: [...]
[...] Wins Out also asks for clarification, issuing a press release calling on Chick-fil-A to publically announce their “divorce” from anti-gay [...]
CFA just announced that they’ll keep donating to “family” and “marriage” groups, which means nothing has changed.
Although Chick-Fil-A’s no longer donating to political
causes such as Liberty Council is a good thing, I think the battle with it was a net loss for gay rights.
This company’s market is primarily in Southern States. The boycott against it was seen a an attack on the “Southern way of life.”
Of course the Southern States are among the most anti-gay in the country.
But an issue like marriage equality is not the one I would have chosen to debate the Southern States.
Even Romney is in favor of some rights for gays, and he gives the example of being able to visit a sick partner in a hospital.
Mike Huckabee was able to exploit the boycott with a
backlash that set back the fight for both equality and other rights.
These kinds of civil rights are what I would think would need to be fought for first in the Southern States.
Unfourtunately, things probably have not changed:
http://www.gay.net/news/2012/09/20/chick-fil-releases-internal-memo-did-it-make-things-worse