Hellobee Boards

I'm on the fence on this. I agree with both sides. I've worked for Chick-fil-a for 5 years. They are a great company to work for. I built a lot of great values for the time I was there.

When I first heard the news of Dan Cathy stating his belief, I was disappointed but not surprised. I knew Chick-fil-a was a Christian organization and knew they have some traditional values. That said, I know there are people who are really religious and anti-gay. It is sad that they are still believe that but it's what they believe.

I know a lot of family and friends who work or own a Chick-fil-a and I'm sure not all of them believe what Dan Cathy believes. It's one man's opinion. They don't discriminate when they hire people. It is still probably a great place to work at and when my future kids are older, I'll probably recommend that they work there.

I love Chick-fil-A and their food but I don't want my gay friends to think less of me. I'll bring this CFA issue up with them and see what they think.

@MrsTiz: Lol - are you kidding me with posting the picture of an uber-stuffed Oreo - talk about cruel and unusual punishment for this preggo! I literally drooled when I saw it!

@MsLipGloss: Oreos would be good right now wouldn't they? Mmmmhh.

@MsLipGloss: texting DH now to tell him to get some on his way home from work bahaha

@BlueWolverine: "Would I boycott Chick Fil A just because of what he said? No. Would I boycott Chick Fil A because part of the profits go to fund groups that actively work toward denying civil rights? Yes." THIS. EXACTLY.

The guy has every right to say and believe whatever he wants - no amount of money I spend or don't spend at Chick-Fil-A is going to change that. But what I can control is what my money goes to support, and by not eating at CFA, I can prevent my money from being used (however indirectly) to support a group that promotes intolerance.

@Pipers Mommy: I hadn't seen that yet. Probably best considering as a pp said he would have no constitutional ground to stand on to enforce anything anyway! Forethought is not his strong suit!

@bluewolverine WORD

ditto to everything @eiko2010 said. i have no problem with their right to have (and publicize) their values and beliefs, but why would i spend my money there when my own values and beliefs directly contradict with how they direct some of their profits?

@Mrsbells: That's true unless he's donating money to anti-equality groups, which he is.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/02/chick-fil-a-anti-gay-group-donations-_n_1644609.html

for the record, I support marriage equality

and I'm a vegetarian living in Boston so my money will never go to Chick-Fil-A

@Mrsbells: I have no stake in saying where others should or should not put their money. For me, however, my money will go to organizations whose beliefs I share preferentially.

Corporations have a lot of power and I would rather further empower those in which I am in agreement rather than those with which I disagree I assume others do the same. It's one of the reasons I pay so much attention to politics and news.

Hmmm.... I checked over at Chickfila.com to see if they posted anything.

In the FAQ:

Q: What is Chick-fil-A’s response to the stories circulating in the media and on the Internet?
A: Chick-fil-A is a family-owned and family-led company serving the communities in which it operates. From the day Truett Cathy started the company, he began applying biblically-based principles to managing his business. For example, we believe that closing on Sundays, operating debt-free and devoting a percentage of our profits back to our communities are what make us a stronger company and Chick-fil-A family.
The Chick-fil-A culture and service tradition in our Restaurants is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect –regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender. We will continue this tradition in the over 1,600 Restaurants run by independent Owner/Operators. Going forward, our intent is to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena.
Our mission is simple: to serve great food, provide genuine hospitality and have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.

Yeah, I know pretty vague but I wonder what the sentence starting with 'Going forward...' will mean for CFA's future.

I don't stop eating/eat more Oreos because of their support for SSM and I don't stop eating/eat more at Chick Fil A for their support of biblical marriage. I think every person should have a right to their opinion - even if certain people believe that they have the right to be the arbiter of what is/is not tolerant. If I bought more/less every time that I disagreed/agreed with a company- heavens. When would I ever have time for anything else?!

Also, this whole debate, particularly people's statuses on FB, have reinforced the reality that very few Americans understand either the Free Speech clause or the Freedom of Religion clause in the First Amendment.

Live and let live. If half this much attention had been focused on something useful, such as bringing canned goods to food shelters or donating blood, image how much better our world would be. <-- and I'm a hypocrite because here I am, weighing in on the topic!

For whatever it's worth, we just drove by one and people and cars are backed up trying to get in the door and the parking lot. Maybe this is actually a marketing ploy. CFA knows its base!

@Mrs. Yoyo: welcome to Tennessee my friend!!

@SusieQ: when a company is privately owned the views of the CEO/president/owner are the views of the company. If Chick Fil A were a public corporation Mr Cathy likely would have been fired by the board.

To clarify I strongly believe he has every right to his opinion. He was asked a question in an interview... And he answered it honestly. I don't take issue with that. But given that the fall out from this situation has alerted me to the fact that a portion of Chick Fil A's proceeds (even a very small portion) help to support anti same sex marriage organizations I choose not to add my money to that pool knowing that Mr Cathy has the discretion to distribute the funds according to his beliefs.

@BlueWolverine: you said it perfectly. Pennies add up to dollars and I am doing my best to be an informed consumer and put my money into companies that support my beliefs. Chick Fil A is no longer one of them.

I just found out that the operator of the one Chick-fil-A in my state is totally pro same sex marriage and helps sponsor the state's gay pride festival! So anyone who went to Chick-fil-A in my state yesterday to support their opposition of same sex marriage is really doing the opposite!

@looch: LOL awesome.