Support For Chick-fil-A
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - Your choice of fried chicken may now be making a political statement.
Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy made it clear he and his fast food chicken chain are against gay marriage and believe a union should be between a man and a woman.
The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is the latest entity to throw its support behind the fast food chain, by publicly announcing it plans to participate in "Chick-fil-A appreciation day" on August 1.
"I think what we will find is here in Fort Worth and really around the country is that as a country as a culture most of us stand for traditional marriage," said Evan Lenow, PhD., assistant professor of ethics at the Seminary.
Lenow said the message Cathy is sending is in support of traditional marriage and is in line with the values taught at the Seminary.
Meanwhile, gay rights groups have called for a nationwide boycott of the fast food chain and have protested grand opening's of the restaurant in several cities.
Gay rights advocates say the message sent by Cathy is hurtful to gay families.
North Texans like James Persha, who is gay, say they are spreading the word about a boycott.
"I'll never go back," he said. "If they want to take that stance then they should go bankrupt."
Chick-fil-A has always put faith first and is closed on Sundays.
Sharry Simmons, a regular Chick-fil-A customer, says she'll continue to eat there, though she doesn't necessarily agree with the company's anti-gay marriage stance.
"What they do behind closed doors is their own business," she said.
Lenow wanted to make one thing clear: Chick-fil-A is not discriminating against gays, but simply adhering to traditional biblical values.
"They've never once said that homosexuals are not welcome in their restaurant," he said.
Gay rights groups have called for a "Kiss-In" at Chick-fil-A restaurants nationwide on August 3rd.
