"We are very much supportive of the family -- the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that.
"We operate as a family business ... our restaurants are typically led by families; some are single. We want to do anything we possibly can to strengthen families. We are very much committed to that," Cathy emphasized.
"We intend to stay the course," he said. "We know that it might not be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord, we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles."
In any other situation, I would agree with the majority of his comments, and I have been taken to task a bit for holding the company's beliefs against them - that they should be free to think and believe whatever they want, as long as, in the operation of their business, they treat their customers fairly and with respect - and admittedly, the company has a reputation for stellar customer service, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, disability, and yes, sexual orientation. I have also read columns denouncing boycotts of the company because Cathy never specifically says that he and/or the company are against gays, an argument I flatly disagree with.
A company CEO is not unlike the President of the United States - they are the face of the organization and tend to be experienced public speakers, keenly aware of the effect of publicity, both positive and negative. They know how to say something without actually saying it. When that person uses the phrase "the biblical definition of the family unit," as part of his beliefs, he is very specifically referring to gays in the negative, without voicing it specifically. They can try to wave the "plausible deniability" flag, but there's simply no other implication that can be drawn from that.
And the thing is, I don't care that he's against gays. He's one of millions. He's free to think whatever he wants. And if he kept it in his own house, I wouldn't have a problem with continuing to buy his food. Here's where he lost me, and please make note of this, as it's the one context so often overlooked:
Chick-fil-A's WinShape Foundation gave $2 million to anti-gay organizations in 2010 (the most current year I've seen numbers for), most notably the Marriage & Family Foundation, Exodus International and the Family Research Council, in a report issued by Equality Matters. And David Badash of the New Civil Rights Movement reported that Chick-fil-A has donated an estimated $5 million to anti-gay organizations and hate groups between 2003 and 2010.
So what is really being said, without being "said," is that, while they are against gays and gay marriage, they are in full support of receiving gays' business. And by releasing their charitable contributions, which detail the groups above, they are making it very clear that YOU and I are contributing to those organizations, through the purchase of their product - essentially saying that we fully support their efforts to ban gay marriage. We didn't used to know this, but now that we do, I've made the conscious decision to no longer pad the coffers that they tap into to provide financial support to anti-gay organizations. I've made this decision for me - everyone else is free to make their own decisions, and I don't hold them against anyone. But having a lot of gay friends I care very much for, I simply can't give my money to them anymore.
So a business' beliefs and politics don't always overlap, and if they don't, no harm, no foul. But when it's found to be funding politics and beliefs, you have to decide for yourselves if you want to be a part of their endeavors. Jim Henson's company famously ended their business relationship with Chick-Fil-A, no longer providing the toys for the restaurant's kids' meals. In response to that decision, someone visiting a Chick-Fil-A store recently posted this photo on a Wipe Out Homophobia page on Facebook:
Makes you wonder just how proud they are of those beliefs, or only insofar as it negatively impacts their business - then they simply trash another company with lies. Interesting logic: they want US to allow them their beliefs, but Henson's company gets trashed for doing the same. Nice to see their business ethics on display. Wonder what part of the Bible THAT came from...
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