Chick Fil-A ends controversial donations to anti-LGBTQ charities and organizations

Chick-fil-A has announced plans to finally address accusations the fast-food eatery supports anti-LGBT causes, following years of protests and public backlash.

On Monday, the Atlanta-based company said that beginning from next year they will no longer be making donations to the Salvation Army, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and the Paul Anderson Youth Home, in addition to other groups criticized for their controversial stances on LGBT issues.

Instead, Chick-fil-A will be deviating from its current philanthropic structure of charitable pursuits and instead focus its efforts on three specific initiatives, with one accompanying charity each: education, homelessness and hunger.

The recipients of the new structure, Junior Achievement USA, Covenant House International, and various local food banks across the US, will receive a total of $9 million in donations, the company revealed.

On Monday, the Atlanta-based company said that beginning from next year they will no longer be making donations to the Salvation Army, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and the Paul Anderson Youth Home, in addition to other groups criticized for their controversial stances on LGBT issues

‘There’s no question we know that, as we go into new markets, we need to be clear about who we are,’ Chick-fil-A President and Chief Operating Officer Tim Tassopoulos told Bisnow of the company’s expansion into more liberal parts of the US and beyond. 

‘There are lots of articles and newscasts about Chick-fil-A, and we thought we needed to be clear about our message.

‘This provides more focus and more clarity,’ Tassopoulos continued. ‘We think [education, hunger and homelessness] are critical issues in communities where we do business in the U.S.’

The announcement comes just months after several US airports rejected the company from developing concession stands in their terminals, in addition to a recent incident in the UK, where the country’s first Chick-fil-A store announced eight days into its lease the pop-up wouldn’t be welcome to extend their agreement – because of its perceived homophobic views.

In 2018 alone, the Chick-fil-A foundation donated $1.65 million to the FCA and $115,000 to The Salvation Army.

In an employee application posted to the FCA’s website, it states that ‘neither heterosexual sex outside of marriage nor any homosexual act constitute an alternative lifestyle acceptable to God.

It also states on its website that ‘marriage is exclusively the union of one man and one woman.’

Instead, Chick-fil-A will be deviating from its current philanthropic structure of charitable pursuits and instead focus its efforts on three specific initiatives, with one accompanying charity each: education, homelessness and hunger

Instead, Chick-fil-A will be deviating from its current philanthropic structure of charitable pursuits and instead focus its efforts on three specific initiatives, with one accompanying charity each: education, homelessness and hunger

Chick-fil-A has continuously been subjected to negative press and protests outside of its newly opened stores – but profits have remained unaffected (pictured: PETA and the LGBT community's "Chick-fil-A Is Anti-Gay!" protest occurs at Chick-fil-A on August 1 in Hollywood)

Chick-fil-A has continuously been subjected to negative press and protests outside of its newly opened stores – but profits have remained unaffected (pictured: PETA and the LGBT community’s “Chick-fil-A Is Anti-Gay!” protest occurs at Chick-fil-A on August 1 in Hollywood)

Meanwhile, The Salvation Army has said in the past that the Bible forbids sexual intimacy between members of the same gender, that any gay Christians should embrace celibacy, and that religious scripture doesn’t approve of same-sex marriage.

In a statement released late Monday afternoon, The Salvation Army said they were ‘saddened’ to hear Chick-fil-A would be cutting charitable ties with them in 2020.

‘We’re saddened to hear that a corporate partner has felt it necessary to divert funding to other hunger, education and homelessness organizations – areas in which The Salvation Army, as the largest social services provider in the world, is already fully committed.’

The statement continued that The Salvation Army servers more than 23 million people a year, including those of the LGBT community, billing themselves as the ‘largest provider of poverty relief to the LGBTQ+ population’.

‘When misinformation is perpetuated without fact, our ability to serve those in need, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, religion or any other factor, is at risk.

‘We urge the public to seek the truth before rushing to ill-informed judgment and greatly appreciate those partners and donors who ensure that anyone who needs our help feels safe and comfortable walking through our doors.’

The Salvation Army has said in the past that the Bible forbids sexual intimacy between members of the same gender, that any gay Christians should embrace celibacy, and that religious scripture doesn’t approve of same-sex marriage

The Salvation Army has said in the past that the Bible forbids sexual intimacy between members of the same gender, that any gay Christians should embrace celibacy, and that religious scripture doesn’t approve of same-sex marriage

In light of such ties, and despite the protests from The Salvation Army that its services are for all, Chick-fil-A has continuously been subjected to negative press and protests outside of its newly opened stores – but profits have remained unaffected.

In 2001, Chick-fil-A surpassed $1 billion in sales and eclipsed the $5 billion mark by 2013 – a year after CEO Dan Cathy spoke out against gay marriage, insisting he supports ‘the biblical definition of the family unit.’

In a 2018 interview he reiterated that stance but said he’s not anti-gay. So far this year the company has registered $10.5 billion in sales, making it the third largest fast-food chain in the US, behind McDonald’s and Starbucks.

But after years of ‘taking it on the chin’, rather than feeling it in their pockets, Tassopoulos says the growing raucous of contempt for their charitable ties became too loud to ignore as it was finally starting to negatively threaten the company’s growth.

The first major blow the company suffered occurred in March, when the San Antonio City Council was voting on an airport concessions contract when it was reported the company was still donating to anti-LGBT groups.

A San Antonio councillor brought up the article during a meeting and councillors voted in favour of the contract, so long as Chick-fil-A was dropped from the arrangement.

The decision then rippled down the Delaware North, where the concessions handler for Buffalo Niagara International Airport decided not to move ahead with plans to build a chain of the restaurant in the same month.

Officials in San Jose also announced they’d be ending the company’s lease at the airport when it runs out in 2026.

Chick-fil-A’s woes continued abroad too, when more than 100 LGBT and animal rights protestors gathered to demonstrate outside Toronto’s first offshoot of the chain on its opening day in September.

Then the landlord behind a Chick-fil-A pop-up store at a mall in Reading, England, announced eight days into the lease it would not renew with the chain because the mall is meant to ‘offer an inclusive space where everyone is welcome.’

In a 2018 interview he reiterated that stance but said he’s not anti-gay. So far this year the company has registered $10.5 billion in sales, making it the third largest fast-food chain in the US, behind McDonald’s and Starbucks. But after years of ‘taking it on the chin’, rather than feeling it in their pockets, Tassopoulos says the growing raucous of contempt for their charitable ties became too loud to ignore as it was finally starting to negatively threaten the company’s growth

In a 2018 interview he reiterated that stance but said he’s not anti-gay. So far this year the company has registered $10.5 billion in sales, making it the third largest fast-food chain in the US, behind McDonald’s and Starbucks. But after years of ‘taking it on the chin’, rather than feeling it in their pockets, Tassopoulos says the growing raucous of contempt for their charitable ties became too loud to ignore as it was finally starting to negatively threaten the company’s growth

Now, looking ahead, the company says its mission is to serve all members of the many communities at locations all over the world. 

The company acknowledges that challenges still lay ahead, as a number of communities will still be resistant to a Chick-fil-A sign being hung in their town or city.

‘When there is a tension, we want to make sure we’re being clear. We think this is going to be helpful,’ Tassopoulos said. ‘It’s just the right thing to do: to be clear, caring and supportive, and do it in the community.’

Despite the backlash, Chick-fil-A was named America’s favourite restaurant in June based on customer satisfaction for the fourth year in a row.

Gay rights organization GLAAD said in a statement that Chick-fil-A customers and employees should ‘greet today’s announcement with cautious optimism’, insisting the company has a long way to go to address its in-house LGBT policies.

‘In addition to refraining from financially supporting anti-LGBTQ organizations, Chick-fil-A still lacks policies to ensure safe workplaces for LGBTQ employees and should unequivocally speak out against the anti-LGBTQ reputation that their brand represents,’ Drew Anderson, GLAAD’s director of campaigns and rapid response, said to CNN.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk