Just days after San Antonio City Council voted against allowing the opening of a Chick-Fil-A at their local airport, two other U.S. cities have joined in halting plans to bring the delicious, yet vicious, food chain into their airports.
The restaurant can currently be found in 28 airports around the United States, but with the news that Chick-Fil-A is continuing to donate millions of dollars to organizations that uphold anti-LGBTQ+ philosophies it seems like a larger movement could be coming.
The Buffalo News reports that the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) will not allow for plans for a new Chick-Fil-A to continue at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. NFTA has also announced the plans for another restaurant at the Cheektowaga airport have been shelved.
Buffalo’s Democratic Assemblyman Sean M. Ryan said:
A publicly financed facility like the Buffalo Niagara International Airport is not the appropriate venue for a Chick-fil-A restaurant. We hope in the future the NFTA will make every effort to contract with businesses that adhere to anti-discriminatory policies, and we’re confident another vendor who better represents the values of the Western New York community will replace Chick-fil-A as a part of this project in the very near future.
It was reported by Think Progress that Chick-Fil-A had made donations of more than $1.8 million to organizations such as Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Paul Anderson Youth Home, and the Salvation Army.
Christian Athletes spreads an anti-LGBTQ+ by requiring a ‘sexual purity’ policy that does not align with ‘homosexual acts’.
Paul Anderson Youth Home teaches that homosexuality is wrong and same-sex marriage goes against Jesus Christ and his values.
The Salvation Army has a history of opposing LGBTQ legal protections, but has since implemented a policy of non-discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
In an email, a representative from Chick-Fil-A sent a statement:
We do not have a political or social agenda or discriminate against any group. More than 145,000 people from different backgrounds and beliefs represent the Chick-fil-A brand. We embrace all people, regardless of religion, race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity.
Still, the company is deep-frying their money into organizations that are anti-LGBTQ+.
Will other airports and cities across the U.S. follow the lead in protesting the Chick-Fil-A company.
H/T: The Buffalo News, Think Progress
unfortunate I’m a gay man and my husband and i love chick-fil-a. most of your gay friends do also…maybe time to boycott those airports that discriminate. Gay folks are now discriminating…they have not learned any lessons…shame