A few weeks ago, a viral article by Think Progress accused Chick-fil-A’s foundation of actively supporting anti-LGBTQ organizations. The article was cited and reposted by news networks and individual blogs alike, and for the gazillionth time, calls to boycott the world’s best chicken sandwich bounced around progressive spheres of the web.
The Chick-fil-A Foundation (according to Think Progress) donated money to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the Paul Anderson Youth Home, and the Salvation Army.
TP (heh) whined:
The donations — $1,653,416 to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, $6,000 to the Paul Anderson Youth Home, and $150,000 to the Salvation Army — actually represent a slight increase from the previous year. The foundation’s funding comes almost entirely from the corporate treasury and shares leadership with the company.The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is a religious organization that seeks to spread an anti-LGBTQ message to college athletes and requires a strict “sexual purity” policy for its employees that bars any “homosexual acts.” Paul Anderson Youth Home, a “Christian residential home for trouble youth,” teaches boys that homosexuality is wrong and that same-sex marriage is “rage against Jesus Christ and His values.”The Salvation Army has a long record of opposing legal protections for LGBTQ Americans and at the time of the donations had a written policy of merely complying with local “relevant employment laws.” The organization’s website has since changed to indicate a national policy of non-discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Another tired and petty attack on Christian values, really.
In any case, following the TP post, members of San Antonio’s city council flooded media with the silliest kind of virtue signaling, insisting that Chick-fil-A not be allowed the opportunity to build a restaurant in the city’s airport because they hate the gays. It’s worth noting that there is not one reported instance in which Chick-fil-A has lived up to their vile reputation of bigotry and sexual orientation discrimination.
From NBC:
The San Antonio City Council voted recently to block Chick-fil-A from opening a restaurant at San Antonio International Airport, citing what it called the company’s “legacy of anti-LGBT behavior.”The council voted 6-4 Thursday to approve a concession agreement for the airport that includes chains such as Smoke Shack BBQ and Boss Wood Fired Bagels and Coffee, provided it excluded a Chick-fil-A concept.The vote came a day after Think Progress reported that newly released tax documents show the fast-food chain donated $1.8 million in 2017 to groups that discriminate against the LGBTQ community.San Antonio Councilman Roberto Treviño said the council’s action affirms the city’s efforts 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,” Treviño said in a statement, adding that everyone should feel welcome when they walk through the city’s airport.A spokeswoman for Chick-fil-A told NBC News on Monday that it wished it had gotten the opportunity to “clarify misperceptions” about the fast-food chain prior to the vote.
Textbook bigotry.
And so Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sent a nice little letter to San Antonio’s Mayor, informing him an investigation into the contract ban had begun [Full letter and letter to Secretary Chao embedded at bottom of post]:
Dear Mayor Nirenberg and City Councilmembers:The Constitution’s protection of religious liberty is somehow even better than Chick-fil-A’s chicken. Unfortunately, I have serious concerns that both are under assault at the San Antonio airport. Please see the enclosed letter from my office to Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao highlighting my concerns that the City’s recent action to remove Chick-fil-A from the City’s new airport concessionaire contract may violate federal law and applicable federal regulations. You should also note that I have directed my office to open an investigation into whether the City’s action violates state law. I trust the City will fully cooperate with my investigation into this matter, and will abide by relevant federal and state laws in the future.Very truly yours,Ken PaxtonAttorney General of Texas
On Facebook, Paxton was a bit more direct:
BREAKING: I’m launching an investigation after San Antonio City Councilmembers made a decision to exclude Chick-fil-A from a concession contract at the San Antonio Airport.The City of San Antonio’s decision to exclude a respected vendor based on the religious beliefs associated with that company and its owners is the opposite of tolerance. The city’s discriminatory decision is not only out of step with Texas values, but inconsistent with the Constitution and Texas law.
New York recently banned the Lord’s chicken from their Buffalo Niagara International Airport:
Meanwhile, Chick-fil-A keeps being awesome and raking in the dough, making more per restaurant than McDonald’s, Subway, and Starbucks combined. And they’re closed on Sunday.
AG Paxton’s full letters here:
Texas OAG Letters to SA City Council and Chao by Legal Insurrection on Scribd
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