Advocacy Group Says Chick-Fil-A Has Promised to End Its Anti-Gay Donations
The Civil Rights Agenda (TCRA), a Chicago-based gay advocacy organization, issued a press release late yesterday alleging that conservative fast-food chain Chick-fil-A has promised to stop funding anti-gay organizations.
In a press release, TCRA Executive Director Anthony Martinez claims that Chicago Alderman Proco "Joe" Moreno, who had vowed to block Chick-fil-A from Chicago as long as they continued working to suppress gay rights, is now suspending his campaign against the restaurant after "confirming that they will no longer give money to anti-gay organizations."
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." In meetings the company executives clarified that they will no longer give to anti-gay organizations, such as Focus on the Family and the National Organization for Marriage.
Additionally, they have sent an internal memo to franchisees and stakeholders that stated 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."
Strangely, Chick-fil-A would neither confirm nor deny to Buzzfeed the statements in TCRA's press release, but Martinez told me in an email that Alderman Moreno is confident the company's anti-gay days are over:
This was confirmed to the Alderman. He was shown a spreadsheet that listed their giving and that was their confirmation. Obviously, we will have to further monitor the situation and confirm this when their public filings come out early next year.
If Martinez is correct, this news is almost certain to enrage the 500,000 conservatives who turned out for "Chick-fil-A Day" last month to show their support for the chain. Where to turn to now for oily fried-meat sandwiches that also express one's distaste for basic human rights?
