It’s a widely known fact that fast food chain Chick-Fil-A was founded on Christian values. It’s closed on Sundays, and its founder is a devout Baptist. So, when President Dan Cathy revealed his opinion on gay marriage, no one should have been surprised. However, his opinion or first amendment right is no longer the issue. The issue is that Chick-Fil-A’s charity organization, WinShape, has given millions in support of anti-gay organizations over the past ten years. That means, when you buy a Chick-Fil-A sandwich, some of your money could be going to organizations such as the Family Research Council, which has been deemed to be a gay “hate group” by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Despite the fact that Cathy denied being anti-anyone, problems have arisen for the inventors of the chicken sandwich.
“If a corporation uses its general treasury funds to finance political advocacy, does that mean any politician that takes action against that corporation in response to that advocacy is violating the First Amendment? It’s a question that comes down to whether you believe corporations have rights akin to human beings,” said Lee Fang of The Nation.
Businesses having a hand in political debate seems like a bad idea. If this becomes a trend, it’ll be an exhausting process for consumers to buy anything. Perhaps it would be a good idea for businesses to be just that, a business, and keep out of the political arena.
In response to the hype, the Chick-Fil-A website states that “Going forward, our intent is to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena.”
Brilliant idea.
What should Georgia State do about its Chick-Fil-A in the University Center? Many colleges across the nation are debating this. Students of Georgia State took the time to share their thoughts on the topic.
Andrea Roman, a senior Film major at Georgia State, states that “Chick-Fil-A’s support of anti-gay organizations makes me not want to support them. I wouldn’t eat at Chick-Fil-A again.”
Ginny Barnes, a senior English student states that, “Having some kind of vote would be a good idea, considering that some of our students, faculty and staff are gay and might be offended by GSU’s Chick-Fil-A. If people really care about human and civil rights, however, they should start researching the policies of all the companies with which they do business.”
