Chick-fil-A became society’s non-progressive, socially unconscious enemy No. 1 this summer when the chicken king’s president, Dan Cathy, confirmed the company’s anti-gay stance. But it seems like Chick-fil-A may have had a change of heart now that a Chicago-based LGBT advocacy group has reported that Chick-fil-A has vowed to stop funding anti-gay groups.
In a press release, The Civil Rights Agenda points to Chicago Alderman Proco “Joe” Moreno, who’s been in negotiations with the chicken giant, as confirming that Chick-fil-A has released an internal memo declaring that the company “will treat every person equally, regardless of sexual orientation.”
“We are very pleased with this outcome and thank Alderman Moreno for his work on this issue,” said Anthony Martinez, executive director of The Civil Rights Agenda. “I think the most substantive part of this outcome is that Chick-fil-A has ceased donating to organizations that promote discrimination, specifically against LGBT civil rights.”
However, TCRA hopes that Chick-fil-A will go one step further and put their pledge for equality into company policy.
“Although we are encouraged by their internal statement, we would still like for the company to adopt an anti-discrimination policy at the corporate level,” said Rick Garcia, policy advisor for TCRA. “It is one thing for a company to say they respect everyone they serve and employ, it is quite another for them to put that into their policies and demand that all employees adhere to that behavior. As we have heard from gay employees that work for Chick-fil-A, there is a culture of discrimination within the company and we would like to ensure that employees can speak out and call attention to those practices without fear of reprisal.”
Though it’s hard to believe that the company’s had a change of heart in such a short amount of time, we hope this mark’s a sincere turning point for the company in which they make their way to the forefront, or at least the middle range, of social progression.
Below are some stars who may also be pleased about Chick-fil-A’s new pro-gay stance.
–nicholas robinson
