Until 5 years ago, I had never heard of Chick-fil-A. Had no idea what it was or why my husband claimed it was the best chicken sandwich ever. He was shocked that I had never heard of them and was determined to get me to one as soon as possible. At the time, the nearest one was in Long Beach, in the middle of a shopping mall plaza. We made plans to go shopping and then to Chick-fil-A one Sunday afternoon. But as soon as we got to the restaurant, it dawned on my husband that Chick-fil-A is close on Sundays. It was such an odd concept to me. Why would a fast food restaurant be close on a Sunday? My husband informed me that it was based on a religious belief. Being raised a Catholic (but not practicing), it made sense to me. But it would be another two weeks later before I got my first Chick-fil-A sandwich.
And what a delicious sandwich it was. I wouldn't say it's the best but it is very good. Since then, I've moved on from the sandwiches to the strips. I do think their chicken strips are the best.
The other day, I openly admitted to some co-workers that I go to Chick-fil-A every now and then. I look at Chick-fil-A as a treat. The Hollywood location is crowded and not near anything convenient for me. But if I'm nearby, I might stop for some strips & a cookies & creme milkshake. My co-workers were shocked that I would patronized such a horrible company. Equally shocked, I said "what's with all the hate?". That unleashed an angry rant about how Chick-fil-A is against the gays and anyone other than the Christian faith.
There are 3 things I don't discuss with people - religion, politics and my weight. Seriously. Any time a conversation veers towards those 3 topics, I shut my mouth & walk away. I feel that those 3 topics are personal & you will never win a debate. In fact, I've seen people lose friendships over such topics.
My response to them was that as Christians, the 7th day was intended for rest. Most religions do have a day that is intended to be for rest & reflection. The Jews have the Sabbath, Christians have Sundays and Islam have Fridays. (Although in Islam, Friday is not a day of rest but a day of obligatory worship).
But Chick-fil-A's reason for being closed on Sunday is not a religious reason but more of a practical reason. S. Truett Cathy, the creator of Chick-fil-A, opened his first restaurant on a Tuesday and by the time Sunday came around, he was exhausted. So, he closed the restaurant that first Sunday & it has followed that tradition since. But this simple explanation did not please my co-workers. "What about the gays?" they said.
Yes, I do feel bad that gays & lesbians are not allowed to marry in this country. But I do not feel that because Chick-fil-A supports traditional families in the biblical definition that is the reason why gays cannot marry in this country. Chick-fil-A has been supporting organizations like Marriage & Family Foundation (commonly referred to as an "anti-gay" organization) since 2002. Which is 2 years after Vermont becomes the 1st state to recognized civil unions between gay or lesbian couples and 6 years before the whole Prop 8 movement. And in 2002, there were no Chick-fil-A in the state of Vermont.
What gets me is that their stance on family values has not changed. In 2011, the Jim Henson Company began a kids meal licensing arrangement w/ Chick-fil-A only to pull out of it 7 months later, was a publicity stunt. Either that or bad research on the Jim Henson Company side. I love the Jim Henson Company but I felt the whole ordeal was just to gain emotional support for the Prop 8 movement. Oh, my co-workers didn't like that.
But Chick-fil-A does support other organizations. Like the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America which benefits terminally ill children. And the Race for a Cure. The Revlon Walk. And many Big 12 conferences of college athletics. Which are mostly overlooked by the mass public.
Has the Chick-fil-A corporation made mistakes? Yes.
Have they said the wrong things to the wrong people? Yes.
Have they been anal jerks regarding their trademarks? Yes
But show me a corporation that hasn't made a mistake or been a jerk to the little guy. Show me a corporation where its hands are entirely clean. Show me a company that has said all the right things at the right time. But you can't because this is America where mistakes can be made and forgiven.
If Chick-fil-A does not support gay & lesbian rights, well, that's their choice. It may not be a profitable choice but as an American company, they have that right. As Americans, we yell & scream when our rights are infringed upon. But what are we doing when we infringe our beliefs on someone's rights? As Americans, we have the right to choose what we want to believe in, where to spend our money & what foods we should eat. We should not be judge by our consumer habits. Just because I enjoy the chicken strips at Chick-fil-A does not make me an anti-gay supporter.
