Okay, for those of us located in the United States, we've heard of the controversy about Chick-fil-a and it's (unsurprising) stance on gay marriage. Let me back up. We've heard about Truett Cathy's (the owner) stance on gay marriage, and thus, his company's. This hasn't been a secret, though. They've been doing this for years. I'm talking...YEARS.
Let me offer those of us who aren't on US soil some background. Chick-fil-a is a Christian-owned and operated restaurant chain that is closed on Sundays to allow their employees to go to church. They donate millions and millions of dollars to Berry College, a local university in my hometown of Rome, GA. They also donate a chunk of their funds to several fundamentalist Christian groups who don't believe in same-sex marriage. This has never been a secret. Like, ever.
But suddenly, almost without warning, the media goes into this GIANT frenzy over the fast food chain's president, Dan Cathy, and his stance on gay marriage. But seriously, guys, are we surprised? No, we are not. That's like walking into a Westboro Baptist Church gathering wearing a "God Loves Me" shirt and wondering why in the world they're screaming at you, saying that God actually hates you. I mean, really?
 |
| Ford Building/Dorms on Berry Campus |
So, I'm going to shed a little bit of light on what exactly Chick-fil-a has done to piss of the LGBT community in the past. First, let's start with Berry College. It's a private university founded on the saying "forever Christian in spirit." Clue numero uno. Berry College receives a large amount of its funding from Chick-fil-a. Starting in 1984, Truett Cathy started the WinShape Foundation, which reinforces Christian values there on Berry's campus (which is gorgeous, by the way). However, a few years ago (I want to say around 2006-2008, but don't quote me on that), a group of students sought to make a Rainbow Alliance of some sort at the school. They had the required signatures and were a few steps from making it a reality when, hold the phone, here comes Mr. Freakin' Chicken Biscuit himself. Cathy threatened to pull every single penny of his funding for the college if the LGBT club was approved. Needless to say, it wasn't approved.
Many attempts have been had at getting the club approved, but the administration on campus just won't budge on it. I mean, who's going to turn down literally MILLIONS of dollars in education funding just so a couple of college kids want to be inclusive and accepting? So obviously this whole "don't eat Chick-fil-a, it's anti-gay" bit has been going on for a seriously long time. So what's with all the sudden hubub, Bub? One answer: social freakin' networking.
This blog is a reminder of how tied to the internet we actually are as a society. We can't get our news any more without first going to Reddit, Twitter, Facebook and, as a latch-ditch effort, Myspace (is that place still alive?). So, essentially, everybody's pissed off because we needed a Twitter and Facebook campaign to make our community mad enough to speak up. But why? WHY?
 |
| Chicken. Freaking. Sandwich. |
Now, I'm not here to chastise anyone about how they get their news, where they get their news, or how they stay updated on the LGBT community. That's not my goal here. My goal is to explain to a bunch of angry quilt-baggers and baguettes (see what I did there? Bread. Delicious!) that they should have used their context clues to know that Chick-fil-a, which is closed on Sundays, probably isn't too keen on a bunch of gay and lesbian kids getting hitched.
Am I telling you who to protest against and who not to protest against? No, I am not. That's not my style. It is none of my business if you want to eat chicken that pays for the same people who tell you that you are less than human. It is none of my business if you want to stand outside and scream that the cows are bunch of homo haters. I am, however, telling you to educate yourselves.
These people could have received a lot more backlash if the community had gotten the message sooner. I'm not expecting Chick-fil-a to change their stance any time soon. In fact, it will probably take quite a few generations before the family changes their ideas. But, at least now you know, right? Right.
Follow @FRW
