September 20, 2012
Chick-fil-A Stops Funding Anti-Gay Marriage Groups
Jason St. Amand READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Chick-fil-A, which drew national attention when its owner reaffirmed his opposition to same-sex marriage, says it's leaving the debate to politicians in the future.
Chick-fil-A, based in Georgia, issued a statement to that effect yesterday when asked to comment on a claim earlier in the day that the company had stopped funding organizations that oppose same-sex marriage.
Chicago Alderman Joe Moreno announced the alleged policy change, which he said followed extended negotiations. He said as a result, he would no longer try to block a Chick-fil-A restaurant from opening in his district.
The company declined to comment beyond a statement saying it planned "to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena."
Earlier this summer, Moreno became a key critic of Chick-fil-A after the Atlanta company's president, Dan Cathy, said in an interview that his business was "guilty as charged" of supporting "the biblical definition of the family unit."
In short order, mayors from New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and elsewhere weighed in on the issue, joined by other politicians, celebrities and hundreds of thousands of consumers.
Supporters swarmed restaurants around the country -- including on in Silver Spring Township -- in early August for Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day, launched by former presidential candidate and conservative Mike Huckabee.
A report from LGBT advocacy group Equality Matters found that from 2003 to 2009, Chick-fil-A donated more than $3 million to Christian groups that oppose homosexuality. In 2010, the fast-food company gave nearly $2 million to such causes, according to the report.
Yesterday, Moreno said the chain sent him a letter saying that its nonprofit WinShape Foundations arm "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." Moreno wouldn't release the full contents of the letter.
