THE AMERICAN fast-food chain that has opened its first UK branch in the Thames Valley has denied supporting a campaign to kill gay people in Uganda.
There have been calls for a boycott of Chick-fil-A after it launched a concession in The Oracle shopping centre in Reading.
Organisers of Reading Pride released a statement on social media outlining their objections to the chain.
“We are staunchly opposed to Chick-fil-A setting up shop in the UK and certainly in Reading,” it reads.
“The chain’s ethos and moral stance goes completely against our values and that of the UK as we are a progressive country that has legalised same sex marriage for some years, and continues to strive towards equality.”
They allege that Chick-fil-A “supports questionable charities” but “statements and views are much more measured and thought out, as one would expect involving a PR company”.
The statement adds: “We respect everyone’s freedom to eat where they choose, however we ask the LGBT+ community (including allies) to boycott the chain in Reading”.
It also includes weblinks to various stories to back up its allegations.
They are not the only ones concerned.
And a reader included us into their emailed complaint to The Oracle’s management team.
“Chick-fil-A are a company who are well-known for their homophobic stance, donating profits to conversion therapy and opposing gay marriage,” they wrote.
“Considering the Oracle were sponsors of Reading Pride festival, I would have thought they wouldn’t be associated with a company who have given nearly $1.5 million dollars to anti-LGBT organisations.
“Companies like Chick-fil-A have no place in our society. I am disgusted that the Oracle might give this horrible company a foothold in this country. Please consider revoking the licence.”
Key concerns against Chick-fil-A
Key concerns from those calling for a boycott are that in 2012, the then CEO Dan Cathy publicly voiced support for “the biblical definition of the family unit” and that the company’s charitable arm has made donations to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes which also supports this view.
And there is a tweet that appeared on October 12, from @sloppyposts that reads:
“Today Uganda announced a bill to legalize murdering gay people. National Christian Organization paid a preacher to go to Uganda and help their lawmakers with the bill. Chick-fil-a funds National Christian Org.
“If you eat at Chick-fil-a, this is what your money goes to.”
Are the claims against Chick-fil-A true?
Website truthorfiction.com investigated the Uganda claim and concluded that: “So at best, the information was both inaccurate and outdated, as it appeared to misidentify former national Christian organization Exodus International as the ‘National Christian Organization’. For context, that particular organization disbanded in 2012.”
It added: “The connection drawn here was outdated, the group in question was defunct, and Chick-fil-A continued to cause ire by giving to other organizations (such as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Salvation Army) in 2019. Although that criticism was current, the connection to the Ugandan death penalty bill was misleading on several fronts.”
However, The Salvation Army has its own inclusivity statement, which means that it does not discriminate.
It reads: “The Salvation Army opposes any discrimination, marginalisation or persecution of any person. We find no scriptural support for demeaning or mistreating anyone for any reason.
“As a Christian church and charity which works with the most vulnerable and marginalised in society we offer unconditional support regardless of race, religion, gender or sexual orientation.”
In 2012, Snopes.com investigated the claims that Chick-fil-A donated money to organizations that oppose same-sex marriage and said it was true.
Chick-fil-A says the claims are misleading and outdated
A report from American news site CNBC revealed that within the first 24 hours, the new branch at The Oracle had had a lot of visitors.
“We can confirm that we opened a pilot-licensed location in the U.K. on Oct. 10 and we are pleased to have already served nearly a thousand customers,” a Chick-fil-A spokesperson told CNBC.
The report added: “For right now, we are focused on this location to help us understand more about consumer interest in our brand and signature menu items.”
Chick-fil-A feels that it has moved on from the 2012 news stories and said that claims are being made against them that are now out of date.
A Chick-fil-A spokesperson told The Wokingham Paper: “Chick-fil-A has not donated to any campaign that would seek to harm people in Uganda.
“Reports from other publications have been terribly misleading by referencing dated information (e.g. making it sound as if we donate to support conversion therapy, which we do not).
“We hope our guests in the UK will see that Chick-fil-A is a restaurant company focused on serving great food and hospitality, and does not have a social or political agenda.
“We are represented by more than 145,000 people from different backgrounds and beliefs, and we welcome everyone.”
