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From employee discrimination to millions in harmful donations, Chick-fil-A has a long anti-LGBTQ+ history. But how much is still going on?
Fast food chain Chick-fil-A has become synonymous with homophobia — and after millions in donations to anti-LGBTQ+ groups, it's not hard to see why. But just how much of the company's dealings currently impact the queer community?
The chicken restaurant has made headlines going back over a decade for multiple cases of discrimination against LGBTQ+ employees. Several queer workers told Huffpost in 2012 about the "depressing" comments they've received from customers and coworkers alike. Almost a decade later in 2022, a transgender woman sued the owner of a franchise in Georgia for firing her over her gender identity and ignoring repeated reports of sexual harassment.
The company most notoriously has drawn criticism and even boycotts over its millions in donations to various groups with anti-LGBTQ+ ties, including over $1.7 million in 2009 alone. The highest contributions that year were to Marriage & Family Legacy Fund ($994,199), Fellowship of Christian Athletes ($480,000), National Christian Foundation ($240,000), and Focus on the Family ($12,500).
The Chick-fil-A Foundation donated $1.8 million to three anti-LGBTQ organizations in 2017, $1,653,416 going to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, which enforces a "sexual purity" policy that bars "homosexual acts." The Salvation Army received $150,000, with the last $6,000 going to the Paul Anderson Youth Home, which provides housing for troubled youth, "teaches boys that homosexuality is wrong," and that same-sex marriage is a "rage against Jesus Christ and his values."
Chick-fil-A gave another $1.65 million to the FCA and $115,000 to The Salvation Army in 2018, before announcing in 2019 that it would cease its donations to the companies, and that its foundation would only donate to a select few organizations. However, Tim Tassopoulos, president and chief operating officer of Chick-fil-A, said in the announcement that "no organization will be excluded from future consideration — faith-based or non-faith-based."
The Human Rights Campaign told The Advocate at the time that while the decision was "an important step for Chick-fil-A, the company still does not have workplace protections and policies that are fully inclusive of LGBTQ people." In fact, Chick-fil-A's profits have continued to fund efforts to block the Equality Act, which would update federal laws to protect LGBTQ+ people from discrimination in employment, housing, education, credit, and jury service.
Former CEO Dan Cathy — the son of Chick-fil-A’s founder Truett Cathy who drew ire in 2012 when he told Christian publication The Baptist Press that he believed in the “biblical definition of the family unit,” signalling his opposition to marriage equality — was revealed by the Daily Beast in 2021 to be among several Christian billionaires who gave millions to the National Christian Charitable Foundation (NCF), which has spearheaded the blockage of the Equality Act.
Chick-fil-A's continued support of anti-LGBTQ+ causes has motivated several colleges and other locations to cut ties with the company or not allow new franchises at their locations. However, some lawmakers have opted to take away the rights of businesses and consumers on behalf of the restaurant by prohibiting them from rejecting Chick-fil-A based on their values.
When the San Antonio City Council in March 2019 rejected a Chick-fil-A for the city's airport, conservative Texas legislators were so incensed they passed what became known as the "Save Chick-fil-A Bill," preventing the state or its cities and counties from "punishing" individuals or businesses because of their membership in or donations to religious organizations, including anti-LGBTQ+ ones. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed it into law that June.
Chick-fil-A's continued anti-LGBTQ+ actions aren't just recent — they're far-reaching. In fact, they're so widely known that other chicken chain restaurants have gotten digs the company. When Popeye's released a sandwich similar to Chick -fil-A's signature chicken and pickles sandwich, Popeye's poked fun at the other restaurant on social media, quickly becoming branded as the gay-friendly sandwich by social media users.
