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The fast-food chain associated with making donations through its charitable arm to anti-gay hate organizations such as Focus On the Family and the American Family Association has apparently buckled — the dollar means more than supporting its bible beating homophobia.
Chick-fil-A has been in negotiations with Chicago Alderman Proco “Joe” Moreno and Illinois-based advocacy group The Civil Rights Agenda over the donations of millions of dollars through WinShape, a non-profit funded by Chick-fil-A to hate organizations as part of a larger discussion about the chain opening a store there. They reached an agreement — Chick-fil-A will stop the donations and re-iterated a public commitment to respect its LGBT customers and employees. From The Civil Rights Agenda’s press release:
In a letter addressed to Alderman Moreno and signed by Chick-fil-A’s Senior Director of Real Estate, it states, “The WinShape Foundations is now taking a much closer look at the organizations it considers helping, and in that process will remain true to its stated philosophy of not supporting organizations with political agendas.” Winshape, a non-profit funded by Chick-fil-a, has donated millions of dollars to anti-LGBT groups, including some classified as hate groups, such as Focus on the Family and the National Organization for Marriage. 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. “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. 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.”
Additionally, they have sent an internal memo to franchisees and stakeholders that states that as a company, they will “treat every person with honor, dignity and respect-regardless of their beliefs, race, creed, sexual orientation and gender” and that their “intent is not to engage in political or social debates.” This statement was placed into an official company document called “Chick-fil-A: Who We Are.”
“Although we are encouraged by their internal statement, we would still like for the company to adopt an anti-discrimination policy at the corporate level,” said Rick Garcia, policy advisor for The Civil Rights Agenda. “It is one thing for a company to say they respect everyone they serve and employ, it is quite another for them to put that into their policies and demand that all employees adhere to that behavior. As we have heard from gay employees that work for Chick-fil-A, there is a culture of discrimination within the company and we would like to ensure that employees can speak out and call attention to those practices without fear of reprisal. It takes time to change the culture of any institution and steps like a corporate policy ensure that progress is made.”
It’s not just about a chicken sandwich and waffle fries — it is a big deal. Now the fast food company needs to put its commitment into official policy, not just a statement (via Buzzfeed):
The company did not contest the report in a statement from spokesman Steve Robinson emailed to BuzzFeed on Wednesday — though it also would not confirm the new report.
“We have no agenda, policy or position against anyone. We have a 65-year history of providing hospitality for all people and, as a dedicated family business, serving and valuing everyone regardless of their beliefs or opinions,” he said in a general press statement emailed to BuzzFeed by another Chick-fil-A spokesman, Jerry Johnston, who said the company’s press statement is not new. “The genuine, historical intent of our WinShape Foundation and corporate giving has been to support youth, family and educational programs.”
I’d like to take a moment and ask all of those people who lined up for the Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day and spewed bible-beating homophobia to justify the corporation’s open support for hate groups (insisting it was really just about ‘free speech” opposing marriage equality) how they feel about the company now. The bottom line is at the corporate level , Chick-Fil-A realized institutionalized homophobia is bad for business.
Because this appears to be a full corporate rollback on this issue, I imagine there’s a need for face-saving because the right-wing freakshow will be full-blast in short order. We’ll have to see when the company’s statement makes its way to the corporate site.
Response from Rick Jacobs, founder and chair of the Courage Campaign:
“If reports are accurate, this news is a big victory for all the people who stood up for equality and against hate. From politics to business to culture as a nation we are seeing a historic shift towards equality for all. While large majorities of Americans believe in equality, a few continue to discriminate against millions of Americans and stand in the way of progress. If true, today’s move by Chick-fil-A is a big step in the right direction. Discrimination and hate have no place in this country.”
Interestingly, the epically homophobic National Organization for Marriage put out this odd press release.
“Despite recent news articles claiming Chick-fil-A’s WinShape Foundation donated money to our organization—this is false. The National Organization for Marriage has never received funding from them,” stated Brown.
“We support Chick-fil-A’s philosophy that every person is treated with ‘honor, dignity and respect—regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender;’ and we will continue to endorse ‘Chick-fil-A Wednesdays’calling upon all supporters of marriage, free speech and religious liberty to thank Chick-fil-A’s president, Dan Cathy, for taking a courageous stand to speak out in defense of marriage and his freedom to speak,” added Brown.
For more on this issue, surf over to Lisa Derrick’s La Figa.
24 Comments
This has been a point of contention in my family, because my in-laws are right-wing Christians and want to take my daughter to Chikcetera when she visits and my daughter won’t allow it. They have gay people in their family like everyone else, know that my dad was gay, and keep doing it even though they are generally not homophobic and (I think) wish right-wing Christians would drop the anti-gay Crusade. They have nonetheless felt impelled to eat the stuff because of liberal antagonism to Chikwhatever, which has quietly pissed the H out of me. I don’t think these are real happy chickens, and there’s a whole ‘nother argument about fastfood that needs engaging there, anyway, but. . . Gonna pass this on, thanks. . .
Will have to watch closely. If Dan Cathy just replaces the money that used to be donated via WinShape with his own personal donations to these hate groups, what’s the difference? The money all comes from the same profits of Chick-Fil-A.
Cueing wingnut outrage in three … two … one …
Wait a minute do hate groups get tax free charity status?
How do groups that want to stop people from having rights even church groups claim charity status? Charity means helping people not pushing politics and or religious beliefs can anyone explain just how Focus on the Family is a charity?
Also if groups like Focus on the Family are charities its no wonder the Red States give more to charity and its no wonder that in Red States people don’t live as long.
Blue State Charity goes to helping the poor, hospitals, schools their charity cash goes for politics that helps the GOP.
Politics should not be tax free.
Sometimes a chicken sandwich is just a chicken sandwich.
The GOP very well might ignore this one the last thing they want is for another example of a Corporation giving into to a Lefty Boycott and Lefty objections to their expansion.
However if anything WE should announce this win from the roof tops! Was the consumer boycott having an effect? Did Chick-fil really really need to expand in Chicago was Chick-fil prevented from expanding in other cities besides Chicago because of their anti Gay policies?
Who in Chick-Fil was the anti gay person pushing this? How are they reacting to their policy being over turned?
Of course the Righty reaction and the Mitt campaign reaction will be interesting even if its only silence.
Sometimes what people don’t want to talk about and why is the most interesting thing to talk about.
How can Mitt win votes in an America where anti Gay policies can bring Mitt’s beloved big business to its knees:)
Impelled to eat because of politics is the food that bad?
Don’t drink the kool aid. It’s nothing but a publicity stunt by the corporation.
Saying you’re sorry after donating thousands of dollars to anti gay causes is empty and meaningless.
If they really want to prove they’ve changed their position, let them donate the same amount of money to marriage equality causes.
I know GOPer alkies who would sooner be sober than drink Coors pisswater.
Good point just how much are they donating to this new non political charity vs what they gave the hate group charity?
Christians forced to do what Jesus would do.
Bingo!
Albeit, duly noted that the Cathy family had to at least be shamed into doing this publicity stunt. So there is that.
I have no doubt that the Cathy’s will continue to donate their “private” money to homophobic hate groups, which, as someone else pointed out, is basically using Shitfila money to donate to homophobic hate groups.
Bah humbug.
One of my neices is a lesbian, but the rest of the family bent themselves into pretzels “justifying” the Cathy’s & their hate donations. It’s pretty effen disgusting. My last laugh? That they ALL *seriously* forced themselves to go eat Shitfila crap in order to “support” these rich shitheaded greedy charlatans.
A fool and his/her money is easily parted, which is certainly something that the Cathy’s & these homophobic “charities” are duly taking advantage of.
I can’t find where Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) designated Focus On the Family and the American Family Association to be hate groups?
I welcome this development. It’s a step in the right direction, but there are more steps they need to take. A memo saying “we honor and respect everyone” is minimal; they need to update their policies to include sexual orientation and gender identity/expression along with age, race, etc.
I doubt that the Cathy family nor the other bigwigs at CFA have really softened their homophobic viewpoints. Basically, they stepped into the boxing ring, got the crap punched out of them (albeit while their supporters cheered for them), and then decided they would be better off if they stayed out of the ring.
I still won’t go to their restaurants, but for me it now moves from “boycott” to “ehhh…”. Trust has been lost and it will take a long, long time to rebuild. I still don’t patronize Cracker Barrel; they have replaced their official company policy to automatically fire gay people with a non-discrimination policy that includes sexual orientation, but they have done absolutely nothing to win us back.
Yeah, there will definitely be playing-the-victim over this one, if any of them are still paying attention. They seem to have be distracted by having to protect Romney from the evil liberal media who are so audacious that they actually reported on something he said. The horror!
They did. It was based on statements equating homosexuality to bestiality or pedophilia. As a matter of fact one reporter read a series of statements to someone intending to defend these groups and they appeared to be dumbstruck. Probably because equating consensual sex with non consensual sex with animals and minors is indefensible.
If they are operating under the guise of a religious organization they do.
It’s also one of the reasons I oppose faith based initiatives. Basically not only are they tax exempt but in the case of the Catholic church they receive money from the Federal government to do their good works(which frees up other money to promote their views on marriage or choice.)
If I were in Congress I’d be raising a stink that there aren’t exemptions for my belief system(after all the pro fetus crowd gets their exemption) to allow me to not fund religious organizations I don’t agree with. Tit for tat so to speak.
Trust, but verify.
Here’s the most recent Intelligence Report that I could find on their website: http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2010/winter/the-hard-liners
Focus on the Family is not listed, although you can find many of our best friends in the group. All but five were listed as anti-gay hate groups last year.
That’s a pretty vivid slander, but it turns out not to be true.
Propagation of known falsehoods, imagine.
They lied.
See here for all the details.
>:-(
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