Chick-fil-A, which gained national attention when its president reaffirmed his family’s views on same-sex marriage in July, is now saying it’s leaving the debate to politicians.
The Civil Rights Agenda, a leading Illinois lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy organization, released a statement Wednesday that said Alderman Proco Joe Moreno finalized his negotiations with the chicken chain.
“Alderman Moreno has confirmed that Chick-fil-A will no longer give money to anti-gay organizations and that they have clarified in an internal document that the company will treat every person equally, regardless of sexual orientation,” the release says.
Moreno, who represents Chicago’s First Ward, said he would block construction of a new Chick-fil-A restaurant after Dan Cathy’s comments caused a stir. He now says he will allow the property to be built.
Charisma News received the following statement from Chick-fil-A in response to the reports:
“Chick-fil-A is a family-owned and family-led company serving the communities in which it operates. From the day Truett Cathy started the company, he began applying biblically-based principles to managing his business. For example, we believe that closing on Sundays, operating debt-free and devoting a percentage of our profits back to our communities are what make us a stronger company and Chick-fil-A family.
“The Chick-fil-A culture and service tradition in our restaurants is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect—regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender. We will continue this tradition in the over 1,600 restaurants run by independent owner/operators.
“Going forward, our intent is to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena. Our mission is simple: to serve great food, provide genuine hospitality and have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.”
The fast-food company did not mention funding “anti-gay” groups, even when Charisma News reached out again, asking about it specifically.
In a statement provided to CBS Atlanta News Wednesday, Moreno says, “In my last meeting with company executives, I corroborated what they told me back in January: that donations to anti-gay groups, which most concerned the LGBT community, have ceased.
“In a letter signed by Chick-fil-A’s senior director of real estate, it states, ‘The WinShape Foundations is now taking a much closer look at the organizations it considers helping, and in that process will remain true to its stated philosophy of not supporting organizations with political agendas.’”
WinShape, created in 1984, is the nonprofit arm of Chick-fil-A, and has donated millions of dollars to pro-family organizations.
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