Back in 2009, I wrote that I thought atheists should avoid Chick-fil-A because they were in bed with Christian extremist groups like Focus on the Family. It made little sense, I reasoned, for an atheist to spend money at a Christian establishment that made it a point to push Christianity and promote Christian extremism.
In 2011, I revisited the subject of Chick-fil-A. I noted their support for the Pennsylvania Family Institute, an anti-gay organization, and again suggested that those interested in equality should probably find an alternative source for their processed chicken habit.
Many in the news media have finally decided to cover Chick-fil-A after their corporate leadership made their anti-gay sentiments quite public, resulting in a backlash. The Jim Henson Company has severed its relationship with Chick-fil-A, and the Mayor of Boston has informed the company that his city is not interested in their bigotry.
While I agree that elected officials are treading on dangerous ground by threatening to interfere with a company's business practices, I suppose the key is whether this is viewed as a speech/freedom of religion issue or as one of discriminatory business practices. Since there does seem to be at least some evidence of discrimination, I hope we may finally see the news media do some investigative reporting to see whether Boston and other cities have a reasonable case to make.
In any case, the public message to Chick-fil-A is loud and clear: bigotry does not taste good. Let's eat elsewhere.
Photo credit: What Would Jack Do?
