Ruth Engelman ’21 | Laura Null ’20
We get it. Chick-fil-A is good, the workers are nice, and it’s easy to order for a grade-wide event here at EA. We are not trying to ruin chicken for you, we promise. The issue with Chick-fil-A is not the chicken or the fries; the issue stems from several donations the company has made to anti-LGBTQ foundations. EA should not purchase Chick-fil-A for its events because, in doing so, EA is endorsing a company which holds homophobic views.
When we first looked into these donations, we obviously saw some blatant homophobia, but nothing too bad, right? No physical harm was coming to people by spending money on chicken and lemonade. Well, we are sorry to burst your bubble, but that’s not exactly true.
The CEO of Chick-fil-A, Dan Cathy, donated $480,000 to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, who, according to their own “Statement of Faith,” believe that “God instituted marriage between one man and one woman as the foundation of the family and the basic structure of human society. For this reason, we believe that marriage is exclusively the union of one man and one woman.” This statement is troubling for Christian LGBTQ athletes and the LGBTQ community as a whole. According to the American Journal of Preventitive Medicine, “overall, increased importance of religion was associated with higher odds of recent suicide ideation for both gay/lesbian and questioning students.” Although the FCA benefits a lot of student-athletes, we personally find fault with their general message of exclusion towards the LGBTQ community, especially as an organization affiliated with a church, a place of love. By donating to an organization with a stance such as this one, Cathy is demonstrating his support for its beliefs.
In addition to his very hefty gift to the FCA, Cathy donated to the now defunct Exodus International, a group promoting anti-gay electroshock and religious conversion therapy. Electroshock therapy involves stimulation with electrical currents to change brain chemistry. Not only is conversion “therapy” inhuman and immoral, but the Human Rights Campaign writes the following: “Such practices have been rejected by every mainstream medical and mental health organization for decades,… Minors are especially vulnerable, and conversion therapy can lead to depression, anxiety, drug use, homelessness, and suicide.” The trauma endured by LGBTQ youth who have gone through the type of “therapy” endorsed by Cathy, and therefore his company, is unbelievably damaging.
Cathy made his stance on what constitutes a marriage clear in an interview on The Ken Coleman Show: “I think we are inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at Him and say, ‘We know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage.’ I pray God’s mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we have the audacity to define what marriage is about.” As CEO, Cathy’s views on homosexuality reflect onto his company.
By purchasing Chick-fil-A sandwiches for events such as the EA/AIS/HAV Weekend Bonfire and the Upper School Powderpuff Football game, EA is supporting a man and a company who have expressed blatantly homophobic views. As a result, students at EA, especially LGBTQ students, may feel like the administration doesn’t care about its own students who are upset by Chick-fil-A’s support of anti-LGBTQ organizations.
We don’t think we’ll be purchasing from Chick-fil-A anytime soon and we hope EA doesn’t either.