Chick Fil A changes course - no longer opposes gay rights

[NYBuckeye96]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/meghancasse ... community/

9/19/2012

Civil Rights Group Claims Chick-Fil-A Change Of Heart On LGBT Community

According to a Chicago-based civil rights group (TCRA), faith-based fried chicken chain Chick-Fil-A is bowing under pressure and changing its tune to a more accepting note on the LGBT community.

In a press release Tuesday, an unnamed senior executive of real estate for the company (which lists three on its corporate website) says that the WinShape Foundation, a non-profit funded by Chick-Fil-A, is reconsidering the organizations that it funds. WinShape has donated to anti-LGBT groups, including some considered to be hate groups by the LGBT community, such as Focus on the Family and the National Organization for Marriage.

According to the statement, the non-profit will reinforce a policy of “Not supporting organizations with political agendas.” The press release continues: “In meetings the company executives clarified that they will no longer give to anti-gay organizations.”

“We are very pleased with this outcome and thank Alderman Moreno for his work on this issue,” said Anthony Martinez, executive director of The Civil Rights Agenda in Chicago, where Tuesday’s announcement was made public. Chicago politician Joe Moreno was seeking to block Chick-Fil-A from building a franchise in his district because the fast-food chain’s top executive Dan Cathy publicly opposes gay marriage. “Guilty as charged,” he told the Baptist Press when asked about his support of traditional marriage. Tuesday’s news is seen as a victory, and construction will presumably move forward in Moreno’s district as a result.

“I think the most substantive part of this outcome is that Chick-fil-A has ceased donating to organizations that promote discrimination, specifically against LGBT civil rights,” says Martinez. “It has taken months of discussion, both with our organization and with the Alderman, for Chick-fil-A to come forward with these concessions and we feel this is a strong step forward for Chick-fil-A and the LGBT community, although it is only a step.”

In the most recent issue of Forbes magazine my colleague Clare O’Connor detailed the on-going controversy of Chick-Fil-A’s very public religious views as well as the donations the Cathy family (which ranks at No. 89 on the most recent FORBES 400 list with an estimated net worth of $4.2 billion) has made to various causes in recent years.

“
The Cathy family’s religious bent isn’t exactly news: Its stores close on Sundays so employees can go to church. FORBES ran a story on “The Cult of Chick-fil-A” in 2007, noting that franchise applicants had to disclose marital status and any church involvement, a practice that’s legal but has brought the firm at least 20 discrimination lawsuits since 1988.

Less well known was the fact that Chick-fil-A–still led by 91-year-old Truett, a devout Southern Baptist–has been making gifts to anti-gay-marriage groups for years: about $5 million since 2003. Of that, $1.9 million was donated in 2010 to outfits including the Family Research Council and Marriage & Family Foundation. Through their controversial WinShape Foundation, they’ve written checks to Exodus International, famous for “ex-gay” conversion therapy, and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, whose website includes a testimonial from a coach “delivered” from homosexuality.

It is too early to tell what effect this latest announcement will mean for business—or for the company’s ongoing donations to “political” groups. Chick-Fil-A returned a request for comment with a prepared statement on the company policy: “[the] culture and service tradition in our restaurants is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect –regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender.” The Civil Rights Agenda, which released the news, was not immediately able to identify the unnamed executives mention in the press release.

The reception on Twitter though, seems to be overwhelmingly positive for the company. “So wait. it’s okay for me to eat chick-fil-a again!?” tweeted one former boycotter @blacksocialite. “SIGN ME UP!”

[NYBuckeye96]

Good for Chick-Fil-A for coming to their senses! This is the 21st Century not the 19th Century! Of course, I'm sure the money they were loosing from boycots has something to do with this. Still, it is a clear victory for civil rights. I bet we don't see another major chain try to act like this ever again! :122245

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

what they made that day should cover it.

[wink]

Wait til they get boycotted by the other side now... which is MUCH larger than the lgbt cpommunity.




btw, coercion doeasn't necessarily equal compliance.

[abuck76]

Civil Disobedience built this country.............And if true, this is great news....... :12224

[kantuckyII]

I'm waiting to hear more on this. Also, from what I understand, they simply agreed to not become involved politically by contributing to groups that support the right things in this matter.

And as Wink said, it might come back to haunt them in a huge way

[abuck76]

That is what Civil Disobedience is supposed to do...........Create a disturbance..thank you......More people wil be talking about the mistreatment of the LGBT community now....thank you...........The more we discuss it the better chance of helping the LGBT community...thank you................I hope the so-called moral majority does protest...thank you..................That will help keep the issue before the publics eyes..thank you........................I beg you to protest....Again I thank you in advance........ :12224

[Tigercannon71]

Hmmm let's see. Chik-Fil-la has made a ton of money off this now they are getting a new store in Chi town where the alderman said he would fight tooth and nail to make sure they don't. All they had to do is promise not to donate as a company to those charities. Looks like Chik-Fil-la is the big winner on this while liberals lose again.

[NYBuckeye96]

That is what Civil Disobedience is supposed to do...........Create a disturbance..thank you......More people wil be talking about the mistreatment of the LGBT community now....thank you...........The more we discuss it the better chance of helping the LGBT community...thank you................I hope the so-called moral majority does protest...thank you..................That will help keep the issue before the publics eyes..thank you........................I beg you to protest....Again I thank you in advance........ :12224

Exactly!!!!

I would be shocked if another major chain ever did anything like this in the future though. Clearly, Chick Fil A's profits took a major hit or they would not have backed down.

[kantuckyII]

Nobody is mistreating anybody. The fact of the matter is two people of the same sex cannot be married to each other. That's just the way it is. I will never, in my entire life, say two people of the same sex are married. It cannot be. Even a small child knows that.

[abuck76]

Even a small child nows you are wrong.......And TC welcome back...Have not seen you here in the past few weeks.........I truely hope everything is well........Tuck and MD need your help........... .............. :12224

[moose]

I don't mind the change of stance, but those new back door entrances are just too much.

[abuck76]

ouch............ :12224

[wink]

I beg you to protest....Again I thank you in advance........ :12224

You need to look up ther differences im "boycott" and "protest" in the dictionary.

[abuck76]

A Boycott is always a protest, but a protest is not always a boycott.......You are not very good at this are you wink ................... :12224

[wink]

"The fact is that Chick-fil-A has not commented on any of these 'what if' statements or shared anything to substantiate the claims by Chicago Alderman Proco Joe Moreno and the Illinois-based Civil Rights Agenda," wrote Campus Pride Executive Director Shane L. Windmeyer, whose group had "several conversations and two in-person meetings" with Cathy in recent weeks, in a blog for HuffPost Gay Voices.

[wink]

A Boycott is always a protest, but a protest is not always a boycott.......You are not very good at this are you wink ................... :12224

A protest is usually vocal and a visual display, which is what you are hoping for.
A boycott can be VERY quiet and yet damaging with no evening news coverage.

[wink]

The subject title of this discussion is not only misleading but is an outright lie.

"Chick Fil A changes course - no longer opposes gay rights"

[abuck76]

You have not protested much have you "Ususally vocal"???..........try again..........This protest is a living breathing thing..........If you try and ignore it, it will come at you from a different angle, like good Civil Disobedience does.........Get a reaction..If no reation, try again with a different tack...................The more you complain, the better the Civil Disobedience becomes........On behalf of believers in the rights of all people including the LGBT community, thank you for keeping this alive...................... :12224

[kantuckyII]

Chick-fil-A Sets the Record Straight
by Karla Dial

In response to media reports that Chick-fil-A has agreed to stop making charitable donations to groups like Focus on the Family, the company today released a statement to set the record straight.

Contrary to reports first made by the gay-activist group The Civil Rights Agenda (TCRA) on Tuesday and later picked up by mainstream media outlets, Chick-fil-A and its charitable-giving arm, the WinShape Foundation, did not agree to stop making donations to groups that support the biblical definition of marriage in exchange for being allowed to open a franchise in Chicago.

“For many months now, Chick-fil-A’s corporate giving has been mischaracterized,” executives said in today’s statement. “And while our sincere intent has been to remain out of this political and social debate, events from Chicago this week have once again resulted in questions around our giving. For that reason, we want to provide some context and clarity around who we are, what we believe and our priorities in relation to corporate giving.

“A part of our corporate commitment is to be responsible stewards of all that God has entrusted to us. Because of this commitment, Chick-fil-A’s giving heritage is focused on programs that educate youth, strengthen families and enrich marriages, and support communities. We will continue to focus our giving in those areas. Our intent is not to support political or social agendas.

“As we have stated, the Chick-fil-A culture and service tradition in our restaurants is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect — regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender. We will continue this tradition in the over 1,600 restaurants run by independent Owner/Operators.”

According to a TCRA press release issued Tuesday, “In meetings the company executives clarified that they will no longer give to anti-gay organizations.”

That was the stipulation gay activists, led by Chicago Alderman Joe Moreno, made earlier this summer, after Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy said in interviews that he and his family are “guilty as charged” of holding biblical views on marriage. Moreno vowed to block the construction of the franchise unless the company changed its beliefs and stopped supporting “hate groups.” Moreno relented to the construction this week, spinning Chick-fil-A’s statement as a victory for his side — despite the fact that it was made before he denied the permit.

Moreover, many news agencies reported that Chick-fil-A had specifically agreed not to give money to Focus on the Family or the National Organization for Marriage (NOM). NOM said Wednesday it has never received money from the foundation. Focus on the Family has.

Some people were quick to criticize the 66-year-old chicken chain for “caving” to political pressure. Focus on the Family President Jim Daly said that’s not what happened.

“Dan and Bubba Cathy are my Christian brothers and good friends. They and their company have long shared Focus on the Family’s commitment to helping build strong and thriving families — and they have in no way deviated from that deeply held and biblically inspired passion while working with the city of Chicago to open Chick-fil-A restaurants there,” Daly said.

“I feel bad the Cathys are having once again to endure media accounts mischaracterizing their values and charitable efforts — and, unfortunately, I know how they feel. Focus on the Family has for 35 years been dedicated to saving and strengthening marriages, helping couples raise happy, resilient kids and encouraging and empowering men and women to advocate for God’s truth with Christ’s heart. And still, in stories like some of those about Chick-fil-A’s efforts to expand in Chicago, we are described as being ‘hateful’ toward certain groups of people.

“How is an organization that helps save one marriage every six minutes and helps parents navigate through a crisis involving their children every 90 seconds deemed ‘anti’ anything but ‘anti-family breakdown’?” he concluded. “That’s a question we would hope the media begins to ask with more regularity of those who disagree with us and with Chick-fil-A for bringing our Christian values to bear on the work we do in the public square.”