Chick-fil-A Anti-Gay Controversy: Gay Employees Speak Out

[Rebecca Jo 1,962]

I am an agnostic libertarian who ate their twice yesterday, because I am sick of having liberals using their positions of influence to try and ban something because the disagree with someones opinion. The countless Mayors, councilmen etc, that have called on Chick-fil-a to be banned should be removed from office.

If you don't want to eat there because of Cathy's opinion fine. But to ask the stores to be banned. Stand up and fight.

Because we all must support capitalism.

Amurika.

[dalegg 143]

I think we need an immediate poll of all American Businesses to find out where they stand on this issue, so we can out them! Opposing gay marriage is such an incredible fringe viewpoint that only about half of America shares, so we simply cannot tolerate their existence. I want to know where every business stands on Abortion, the Death Penalty, and gun rights too.

[canada_socks 97]

I feel so bad for the employees that work there, whether they are gay or straight. Not everyone who is employed by Chick-Fil-A is straight, or Christian or supports these views, and these are the ones feeling the backlash. Not fair at all.

23-24 year olds who work at chick-fil-a as their primary source of income.. how smart can they be?

Wow, that's ignorant.

[PMartin37 161]

Andrew could have easily given a fake name.

If he didn't, that's his own fault. But it would be pretty funny if CfA fired someone for voicing their opinion when that's all the company is trying to do.

And would be grounds for a lawsuit of epic proportions.

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

I don't believe they discriminate against their employees. I'm sure the vast majority of them are treated with dignity and respect.

But it must be a slap in the face to have a company be nice to your face and then throw their money at organizations that are against the very way you live your life.

The Guy who owns my company is a wing nut Evangelical who has political beliefs that often diverge from mine. I am there to do a job and get a paycheck. He can support his causes and me mine. He treats me well and that is all that matters.

Eventually the pictures of people flocking to CFA will be held up right alongside the idiots protesting integration in the 60s. I can't wait.

I think it will be more along the lines of the Berlin Wall coming down.

[웃 910]

I think it will be more along the lines of the Berlin Wall coming down.

This is you:

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I think we need an immediate poll of all American Businesses to find out where they stand on this issue, so we can out them! Opposing gay marriage is such an incredible fringe viewpoint that only about half of America shares, so we simply cannot tolerate their existence. I want to know where every business stands on Abortion, the Death Penalty, and gun rights too.

What we're witnessing is the evolution of our social conscience. Just go back half a century and you'd probably find half the population not in favor of mixed marriages, but our social conscience evolved at that point to where we understood that it was a civil rights issue. Homosexuality in this country as in the rest of the world has been treated as an affliction and those who say they are gay, as social outcasts. Gays have slowly gained access (military, benefits to domestic partners, protections from being fired), but marriage is the ultimate recognition by society that their relationships are in fact, genuine and deserve the same rights as straight married couples. I think we're going to see an increasing number of incidents like this where a company has been found to not afford the same benefits or rights to gay couples and activists standing up to that kind of assault on civil rights. It's not just about whether someone agrees with homosexual relationships, but about gay citizens' civil rights.

Edited August 4, 2012 by Commie Appeaser

[akihon 129]

what people fail to get is that Dan Cathy's opinion of gay marriage is exactly that: an opinion. If Chick-Fil-A was openly discriminating against hiring employees because of their sexual orientation, then there would be a little more substance to this "boycotting" but the fact remains is that Chick-Fil-A is not committing a crime .. and (for now) the views of its COO do not carry into its business practices beyond being closed on Sundays.

[dalegg 143]

What we're witnessing is the evolution of our social conscience. Just go back half a century and you'd probably find half the population not in favor of mixed marriages, but our social conscience evolved at that point to where we understood that it was a civil rights issue. Homosexuality in this country as in the rest of the world has been treated as an affliction and those who say they are gay, as social outcasts. Gays have slowly gained access (military, benefits to domestic partners, protections from being fired), but marriage is the ultimate recognition by society that their relationships are in fact, genuine and deserve the same rights as straight married couples. I think we're going to see an increasing number of incidents like this where a company has been found to not afford the same benefits or rights to gay couples and activists standing up to that kind of assault on civil rights. It's not just about whether someone agrees with homosexual relationships, but about gay citizens' civil rights.

I think what we are witnessing is the birth of something far worse.

It used to be that a business that actually practiced discriminatory policies would be subject to a boycott, and as our social conscience grew, the average person more and more would choose not to support that business based on their policies....and eventually change would come about. It wasn't that we hoped we could change people's opinions, is that we were saying "if you treat us or any human bad, you will not have our business", and if a business wanted to keep making money, they would have to change.

But now its about more than that. Now its "if you don't agree with my position, you are an evil person and you have to go". It's not even that this opinion has to be a fringe view point. Heck, the company in Question is based in Atlanta, Georgia. What do the majority of people in Georgia feel about gay marriage? I don't know but I'll bet it isn't a majority that support it.

What makes this worse is that the owners stance is so similar to what President Obama's was just until recently. Here's what the President said in 2008, and until 4 months ago I don't think he had said different:

"I believe that marriage is the union between a man and a woman. Now for me as a Christian its also a sacred union. You know, God's in the mix."

Now..nobody came out and called Obama a hate-filled man after he said that. He was given the usual pass by the left, presumedly because they knew he probably didn't mean it. But who would have more of an influence on Gay Marriage- the President of Chick-Fil-A, or the President of the United States? Or would you guys on the left just prefer people lie about their opinion?

So all of a sudden since the President's view point has evolved, anyone who is slower to evolve than him is a hate-filled bigot.

Tell me what I am missing. What precisely did this guy do, except tell the truth? Did his words actually do anything negative for the Gay Marriage movement? Not hardly. Even if he sends money to organizations that oppose Gay Marriage- so what? The majority of people have evolved to where they know it's wrong to oppose gay marriage and they will cast their vote correctly, right? Or is that the problem. You know it isn't right, so these people must be silenced by the minority so that laws prohibiting gay marriage won't be pursued. This is lame, because I believe you can argue for Marriage Equality based on the Constitution. But trying to run people out of town because they don't have the same opinion as you is just wrong.

What if I found out that the owner of my local Vons didn't support the death penalty? Is that it, do I find all of my friends who do support the death penalty and boycott the store? People have different opinions. Why can't you just let it be?

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

I think what we are witnessing is the birth of something far worse.

When rape is inevitable, best to just lay back and enjoy it.

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

This is you:

Actually since I am black I doubt I would be in that picture for fear of my life, but I love a good liberal stereotype

Edited August 4, 2012 by Run Herschel Run

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

what people fail to get is that Dan Cathy's opinion of gay marriage is exactly that: an opinion. If Chick-Fil-A was openly discriminating against hiring employees because of their sexual orientation, then there would be a little more substance to this "boycotting" but the fact remains is that Chick-Fil-A is not committing a crime .. and (for now) the views of its COO do not carry into its business practices beyond being closed on Sundays.

And you get it perfectly. As the OP said this is a civil rights issue. It is about the right to have an opinion without fear of political persecution.

[Danno 1,228]

This is you:

That photo would be so much more useful (and popular) if those flags had just been confederate flags (like in the movies 10 times out of 10).

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I think what we are witnessing is the birth of something far worse.

It used to be that a business that actually practiced discriminatory policies would be subject to a boycott, and as our social conscience grew, the average person more and more would choose not to support that business based on their policies....and eventually change would come about. It wasn't that we hoped we could change people's opinions, is that we were saying "if you treat us or any human bad, you will not have our business", and if a business wanted to keep making money, they would have to change.

But now its about more than that. Now its "if you don't agree with my position, you are an evil person and you have to go". It's not even that this opinion has to be a fringe view point. Heck, the company in Question is based in Atlanta, Georgia. What do the majority of people in Georgia feel about gay marriage? I don't know but I'll bet it isn't a majority that support it.

That's not what happened with CFA, but I don't agree with turning it into a boycott either. However, the boycott is equally matched by the absurdity of the amount of support by the demonstration of people who happen to agree with the COO's POV on gay marriage. There's also a back story to CFA - a restaurant chain where the owner has infiltrated his religion into the business and has made donations to organizations that have been politically active in fighting against gay marriage. So, I don't think gay activists are off base for reacting to his public statement, which by itself, was a political one in this context. And there's even a back story to the boycotting - in that these organizations who have received contributions from CFA to fight gay marriage - they were the ones who organized boycotts against companies such as Ford Motors, for just advertising in gay magazines or Disney for offering benefits to employees with domestic partners.

So, if you extend that belief that such boycotts go beyond difference of opinion in all those cases, I would agree with you. If you are, though, singling out the gay activists for adopting the same politic tactics done by anti-gay groups, then I think you are being selective.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

And you get it perfectly. As the OP said this is a civil rights issue. It is about the right to have an opinion without fear of political persecution.

That's absurd. I guess I'll have to go back to my example that if it really is only about someone having a right to their opinion, then I suppose you would patronize a company even if the owner openly stated his opinion that you personally found offensive. For example, suppose he stated that he believes "people shouldn't marry outside of their race," and decided to make that opinion public, you wouldn't let that interfere with whether or not you patronize his business? Explain how the owner's civil rights are being infringed upon by a boycott of his business? Good grief.