[Gwen Ilhat | The TakeOut] Popular chicken-sandwich franchise Chick-fil-A wasin plans to join a number of new restaurants in Terminal A at the San Antonio International Airport. But ThinkProgress, a news website from an advocacy organization, reported last week that “the Chick-fil-A Foundation donated $1.8 million to groups that discriminate against the LGBTQ community in 2017, including the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.” The next day, reports USA Today, the San Antonio City Council voted Chick-fil-A out of the new terminal plans, and cited the chain’s apparent anti-LGBTQ stance as the reason. This amendment to the original plan was approved by a 6-4 vote.
In a statement, Councilman Roberto Treviño said after the vote: “With this decision, the City Council reaffirmed the work our city has done to become a champion of equality and inclusion. San Antonio is a city full of compassion, and we do not have room in our public facilities for a business with a legacy of anti-LGBTQ behavior. Everyone has a place here, and everyone should feel welcome when they walk through our airport.”
Chick-fil-A was quick to respond in a statement to USA Today: “We wish we had the opportunity to clarify misperceptions about our company prior to the vote. We agree with the council member that everyone should feel welcome at Chick-fil-A… In fact, we have welcomed everyone in San Antonio into our 32 local stores for more than 40 years.”
In 2012, Chick-fil-A founder Dan Cathy gave an interview that included the quote: “We are very much supportive of the family—the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that.” The company has previously donated to socially conservative groups like the Marriage And Family Foundation and the Family Research Council.
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[Editor’s Note: This article was written by Gwen Ilhat and originally published at The Takeout. Title changed by P&P.]
