Oh, the dilemma that is being Chick-fil-A: The chain can lose potential customers by opposing same-sex marriage, or it can tick off its loyal base by not denouncing one franchisee who thinks the opposite.
After a rogue Nashville Chick-fil-A owner donated to an LGBT film festival, the chain got prominently listed on the event’s website, resulting in various angry media outlets misreporting it as corporate sponsorship. Outrage at the chain has oozed forth ever since over this purported corporate shift, despite the fact that past franchisees acting alone have gone even further in support of LGBT causes.
Level Ground, “the world’s first faith-based LGBT film festival,” bills itself as a safe gathering place for the LGBT community to meet with Evangelicals and “dialogue about faith, gender, and sexuality through the arts,” but that’s a step too far for at least 718 concerned citizens (so far) who’ve signed a Change.org petition called “CFA Goes Gay, Corporate Needs to Know!” Its creator, Steven Policastro, asks Chick-fil-A to clarify its corporate stance on same-sex marriage, because this slope is starting to look very slippery:
And upon further inquiry, your sponsorship of this organization supports pro-gay organizations such as:
The Christian Closet (gay-affirming Christian counseling)
The Center For Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry (promoting the gay agenda in Christian ministry)
Therapists 4 Equality (LGBTQ Affirmative Therapy)
The Reformation Project (an attempt to bring the gay agenda into the church’s theology)
Believe Outloud (an organization to promote gender equality to Christian clergy)
Corporate has seemingly done all of the clarifying it wants, saying it doesn’t “make decisions on local sponsorships,” and nothing more. That’s going to make for some bitter chicken sandwiches for these protesters — and there’s now the possibility of Evangelicals boycotting Chick-fil-A right next to same-sex couples and PETA.
[Change.org via Slate]
