Editor’s note: Read our update – Chick-Fil-A Issues Statement: Traditional Marriage Groups Funding Will Continue
Chick-Fil-A this week in a written agreement signed by a corporate senior director promised to no longer donate to anti-gay organizations or political groups, as a condition of being able to open a restauranrt in Chicago. But on Tuesday, hours before news of Chick-Fil-A’s supposedly new corporate policy was published — and after the legal agreement with the City of Chicago was signed — Chief Operating Officer Dan Cathy tweeted a photo of himself riding a motorcycle as part of a “Ride for the Family” which is a fundraiser for one of Winshape‘s top anti-gay recipients, the Marriage and Family Foundation.
READ:
Lawmaker: Chick-Fil-A Agrees To End Donations To Anti-Gay Groups
An Open Memo To Anti-Gay Organizations And Hate Groups On Chick-Fil-A
Could there be a loophole in Chick-Fil-A’s newfound neutrality?
“That long ride is a fundraiser for an organization that helps lobby against marriage equality,” Lucas Grindley, writing for the Advocate, reports:
Registration forms for the event ask that checks be sent, not to the WinShape Foundation that Chick-fil-A operates, but directly to the Marriage and Family Foundation at 5200 Buffington Road in Atlanta, Ga.
The forms say the ride fee is $3,500 for each individual or couple. But sponsorship packages posted online show that organizations could pledge $5,000 for “silver” status, $10,000 for “gold” or $15,000 and more to reach “platinum.” The Chick-fil-A logo accompanies everything, and so does the WinShape name, but it’s unclear whether the foundation continues to make donations.
The Marriage and Family Foundation was not only included in the investigation by Equality Matters of the fast-food chain’s questionable giving history, it was identified as the top antigay recipient in 2010. WinShape had given more than $1 million to the group in 2010 alone.
Equality Matters explained the group’s history in detail. It was originally named the Marriage and Family Legacy Fund when it was founded in 2007 by a member of the Cathy family. In fact, the current Buffington Road address in Atlanta is now shared by Chick-fil-A’s headquarters.
The Marriage and Family Foundation was created as the “implementation and funding arm” for something called the Marriage CoMission, which Equality Matters says is host to an annual conference about the supposed decline of marriage. The conference has been attended by the founders of the National Organization for Marriage and Exodus International, which had once focused on changing people from gay to straight. The Cathy-family group originally was intended to contribute to multi-million dollar public awareness campaigns about its values.
Granted, the group’s sole focus isn’t on same-sex marriage. The CoMission emphasizes lowering the divorce rate and making couples more satisfied in their marriages, for example. But even in those instances, the group has made clear it’s worried only about heterosexuals being happy in their marriages and avoiding divorce.
Related:
Media Malpractice: Press And Pundits Get Chick-Fil-A Vs. Gay Story Wrong
NOM: We Won’t Let ‘Gay Marriage Thugs And Activists…Get Away With Murder’
Perkins: Obama’s ‘Open Season’ On ‘Religious Freedom’ To Blame For FRC Shooting
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{ 2 comments }
As I mentioned in an earlier posting, and during the Chick-Fil-A fifteen minutes of fame, Chick-Fil-A will go the way of Anita Bryant. Now the organization is obviously facing some serious consequences.
Dan Cathy (Chick-Fil-A's CEO) is desperately trying to kiss and make up with the LGBT community. Why? Well, based upon my business experience, I can guarantee that all of the banks affiliated with Chick-Fil-A are very paranoid about lending money either to Chick-Fil-A or to anyone looking at buying and financing a franchise. In fact, I would bet that lending for franchise sales is completely dead right now.
You can also be sure that all of the insurance underwriters for Chick-Fil-A and its franchisee's got a real pucker from the dumbass stunt pulled by its CEO.
Employee Practices Insurance is generally underwritten by Chubb. I would not be surprised if Chick-Fil-A lost a good portion of its insurance coverages. Dan Cathy's stunt opened Chick-Fil-A up to some very ugly employee lawsuits. He basically made Chick-Fil-A a plaintiff attorney's wet-dream.
Anyone looking at buying a franchise is receiving stern advice from their attorneys, insurance carrier, and from their banks to by a Dairy Queen or McDonalds – ANYTHING but a Chick-Fil-A. Aside from that, who would want to pour their life savings into a franchise that is managed by a loose cannon cowboy?
Banks do not like taking risks that cannot be calculated within the guidelines of customary business operation risks, and for those, the bank wants to see insurance. Insurance companies do not want to write insurance for someone who is waiving a banner, "please sue me." Finally, you can't buy insurance for having a CEO who is an ass nozzle.
I suspect that Chick-Fil-A lost a great deal more business than it gained from its one-day escapade of catering to the all of the right-wing, homophobic, low information knuckle draggers. However, what is far more impacted is its business model, and how it has tainted itself with its lenders, insurance underwriters, franchisee's, vendors and everyone who has actually evolved beyond the 17th Century.
I was in my early twenties while Anita Bryant self-destructed. Anita Bryant is still the best thing that ever happened to the LGBT community – indeed Anita Bryant created the organized LGBT community.
Dan Cathy and Chick-Fil-A consciously decided to viciously attack innocent people on the basis of what we now see is a totally phony theology. If Mr. Cathy were really devoted to his theology, he wouldn't be trying to backpedal. Mr. Cathy's theology is practiced only for the convenience of the moment or the situation. It's a total veneer.
Some people would suggest that the LGBT community accept Mr. Cathy's disingenuous olive branch and forgive him. I personally say use him and Chick-Fil-A as the sacrificial goat to show the rest of the country that there are consequences with what amounts to corporate sponsorship of hate and bigotry. Mr. Cathy made himself and his organization the sacrificial goat – not the LGBT community.
I believe that this is the biggest opportunity to advance equality since Anita Bryant. Just because Chick-fil-A is floating a balloon that it won't give donations (that anyone can find) to anti gay organizations doesn't suddenly cure Dan Cathy of his numerous malfunctions, including being a repugnant bigot. My personal vote would be to continue the boycott until Dan Cathy, et al are in chapter 11.
somehow I knew he is a slimey loser!!!
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