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Boycott Chick-Fil-A.
14 years ago
[tl;dr: Chick-Fil-A openly and actively supports organizations that discriminate against homosexuals, and even wants you to know that they do.]
Chick-Fil-A, as many of us know, is closed on Sundays because of the strict religious guidelines the company employs. The company is owned and run by a Southern Baptist Convention affiliated group; as such, one is not surprised in the least that the franchise is forbidden to operate on the day of rest, as the company sees it. One also should not be surprised, then, that Chick-Fil-A's charitable wing, the WinShape Foundation, would hold similar values.
So it also should be no surprise that WinShape went public recently with the following statement, when ambiguous wording in their mission statement prompted the question: would they provide charity to, or accept charity from, organizations that do not discriminate against gay couples?
"We do not accept homosexual couples because of the statement in our contract."
However, Chick-Fil-A's president, Daniel Cathy, is quick to point out that Chick-Fil-A will still, out of the goodness in their Christian hearts, continue to provide service at their restaurants to homosexuals, including couples.
"Chick-fil-A is a restaurant where franchises frequently donate to anti-gay organizations like the Pennsylvania Family Institute, Focus on the Family and others. The restaurant's charitable arm, WinShape, holds conferences for opponents of gay marriage and praises their work. And this charitable arm's Retreat program puts a blanket ban on gay couples using their facilities, because they "do not accept homosexual couples", according to the website Gay Rights Change.org. Link: http://gayrights.change.org/blog/vi.....me-sex_couples
Focus On The Family and the PA Family Institute are two of the more viciously radical anti-gay organizations in the country, who fund ultraconservative politicians and who also fund some of the more violently anti-gay media campaigns. FOTF has also been linked to efforts by an American-based ultraconservative fringe political faction working in the African nation of Uganda to pass a Constitutional amendment in that country that would make homosexuality a crime punishable by execution. [Source: Jeff Sharlet's book The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power, including interviews with several of the US Senators involved with the organization.]
I strongly urge you to boycott Chick-Fil-A, if human rights are important to you.
Chick-Fil-A, as many of us know, is closed on Sundays because of the strict religious guidelines the company employs. The company is owned and run by a Southern Baptist Convention affiliated group; as such, one is not surprised in the least that the franchise is forbidden to operate on the day of rest, as the company sees it. One also should not be surprised, then, that Chick-Fil-A's charitable wing, the WinShape Foundation, would hold similar values.
So it also should be no surprise that WinShape went public recently with the following statement, when ambiguous wording in their mission statement prompted the question: would they provide charity to, or accept charity from, organizations that do not discriminate against gay couples?
"We do not accept homosexual couples because of the statement in our contract."
However, Chick-Fil-A's president, Daniel Cathy, is quick to point out that Chick-Fil-A will still, out of the goodness in their Christian hearts, continue to provide service at their restaurants to homosexuals, including couples.
"Chick-fil-A is a restaurant where franchises frequently donate to anti-gay organizations like the Pennsylvania Family Institute, Focus on the Family and others. The restaurant's charitable arm, WinShape, holds conferences for opponents of gay marriage and praises their work. And this charitable arm's Retreat program puts a blanket ban on gay couples using their facilities, because they "do not accept homosexual couples", according to the website Gay Rights Change.org. Link: http://gayrights.change.org/blog/vi.....me-sex_couples
Focus On The Family and the PA Family Institute are two of the more viciously radical anti-gay organizations in the country, who fund ultraconservative politicians and who also fund some of the more violently anti-gay media campaigns. FOTF has also been linked to efforts by an American-based ultraconservative fringe political faction working in the African nation of Uganda to pass a Constitutional amendment in that country that would make homosexuality a crime punishable by execution. [Source: Jeff Sharlet's book The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power, including interviews with several of the US Senators involved with the organization.]
I strongly urge you to boycott Chick-Fil-A, if human rights are important to you.
No offense. Just saying. It'd be polite to rephrase, or apologize. =\
I'm not telling anyone how to live their life and how to eat or not; I think that point might have been missed. I'm simply stating that these are the points as expressed by both "sides" of the issue, and if you feel the same way as I do, then I encourage you to not give Chick-Fil-A your money. CFA and WinShape donate money to worthy causes that help a lot of people; they also have a reputation [based on past incidents] of discrimination against gay [and non-Christian] employees and customers. In the 1990's they were accused of a policy of denying homosexual customers service [as was Denny's] and of refusing to employ homosexual workers. They changed their policies in both instances; hopefully awareness will nudge them to disavow openly discriminatory policy in this issue as well. Target did the right thing. They realized they had made a bad decision and made an effort to distance themselves from it. Protesting their decision through a perceived boycott did indeed effect change.
As a public company, CFA cannot discriminate against serving customers based on sexual orientation. It's nice of Daniel Cathy to point this out, but legally he has no option. That would be like me calling a press conference to declare my decision that when the light turns green, cars are allowed to go. In most states, they also cannot discriminate against hiring based on sexual orientation. However, as a private charitable organization, WinShape can discriminate, and WinShape is a subordinate of CFA.
A few bad eggs does not ruin the farm; the problem arises when the farmer is him/herself bad.
It is mostly the revelation that CFA/WinShape heavily support Focus On The Family and other ultra-radical organizations that got my attention. FOTF openly supports discrimination against, and criminalization of, homosexuality. I would personally boycott any other company I come across who also supports FOTF and encourage others to do so as well if they feel the same way.
The news that CFA/WinShape are rethinking their policy is exactly what drawing awareness to the issue was intended to accomplish. Again, perception of a public protest and boycott helped to effect a change.
He can have any opinion he likes. I am not obligated to agree with him.
I can express my own opinion and choose not to use his products.
I can explain why I choose not to use his products.
Other people are also free to choose to agree or disagree with him or me based on the information I have expressed, but their choice is an informed one.
At no point am I denying anyone the right to their own opinion; I am saying that I will not give him my money because I feel his opinion is reprehensible.
In addition, one of the organizations [FOTF] that he supports *DOES INDEED* promote hurting [socially, legally and monetarily] a subsection of American Citizens, and *DOES INDEED* promote the execution of a subset of Ugandan citizens, because FOTF holds an opinion that some human beings are less equal than others.
I am giving others the same opportunity to choose to accept or deny his opinion and spend their money thusly.
Perhaps if enough people feel his opinion is wrongminded, he will understand and change his opinion.
And then I can get another large lemonade and a #4 value meal from him.
Is that reasonably clear?
Target distanced themselves from their earlier decision that I [and many] found unacceptable, and today I shop at Target.
Is it also wrong for me to have stopped buying Nike products after their Asian sweatshop policy became known? I didn't say they had to go out of business, I said I will not give them my money because of their practices.
Is it also wrong for me to have stopped buying Snapple products because they sponsor a certain radio personality who I believe promotes racism and classism? I didn't say he had to stop expressing his opinion, I said I will not give his sponsor my money because I believe they are supporting intolerance and hate speech.
Are you seeing the bigger picture yet? Do I get to have my own opinion YET?
I don't mean that to be rude, but I don't think I was making my point clearly enough.
The entire issue began when WinShape was asked to clarify an unclear statement in their own charitable organization application form, which they provide to organizations who wish to receive funding from WinShape.
After that initial statement was clarified by WinShape, research was done into what organizations WinShape does provide contributions to. Among those organizations were certain ones who openly and violently profess an anti-human rights, anti-homosexual agenda with the intention to criminalize homosexual behavior in the United States, as well as effect change in Uganda's constitution to make homosexuality a crime for which the punishment is death by execution. FOTF is on record as stating that they hope to effect the same change in the United States, though they acknowledge that it will likely be impossible.
I cannot support Chick-Fil-A when their charitable subordinate company funds -- as they are perfectly legally right to do so -- organizations such as these. Daniel Cathy may even find these organizations' actions horrifying, but his company still provides them with funding.
Their money may pay for it, but remember what else said charities help. and who else chickfila support. heart health (at least in my area, the group gives about 10k toward a cath lab to rennovate some of its lower end equip)
i guess what im saying is.... theres two sides to each coin.
It is mostly the revelation that CFA/WinShape heavily support Focus On The Family and other ultra-radical organizations that got my attention. FOTF openly supports discrimination against, and criminalzation of, homosexuality. I would personally boycott any other company I come across who also supports FOTF and encourage others to do so as well if they feel the same way.
I know it's not the same thing, but imagine, Under Hitler, the Nazi's killed millions of people. But the medical knowledge we now have from them experimenting, torturing, and butchering people is what is saving tons of lives today. Therefore it's okay what happened because they did do some good? Sorry, not following you on that sense.
Let us all agree to disagree. I'm pretty sure Bunny is stating his opinion, and why he's boycotting Chick Fil a, not telling anyone they have to. I support him, and I'll also be boycotting them. But those who don't want to... Then don't. =)
Everyone has to pick their spots when it comes to causes that are important to them. Mine tend to be gay rights [pro], environmental issues [pro], enforced religion or morality [anti], and animal rights [pro]; within these topics, there are things I support and things I oppose. I usually just do my talking with my money, but occasionally something comes along that makes me feel the need to speak up. :)