Chick-Fil-A, vol. II

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/conor-gaughan/chick-fil-a-homophobia_b_1711566.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false

I posted about Chick-Fil-A on Thursday night and, for the most part, stick behind what I said.

However, after reading this post, I feel the need to respond further because Conor's post on this site really got to me.

However, I feel it is important to acknowledge a couple of things:

Huffington Post is a very liberal news "organization"; it is akin to Fox News in its slant. I recognize this and want to make sure I acknowledge this as it may be used as an argument against the rhetoric.

However, this man's post, at least from what I can tell from internet research, was not paid for or predicated for anything other than one man's own opportunity to share his opinion.

And rightfully so-- he is an accomplished businessman with the education (Harvard) and experience (just take a look at his resume on LinkedIn) to back it up. And he is gay. And for both reasons, it appears that he had an opinion on the issue, and the Huffington Post was the outlet that chose to publish his opinion.


That said, I want to clarify a little more about what I stated on Thursday.

I never thought about far reaching effects of the message of an organization with the prominence of Chick-Fil-A would mean to the GLBT community; there has been controversy from human rights activists, but (at least for me) little attention has been given to how GLBT individuals were affected by this admission.

And I guess what I want to clarify is that I don't have a problem with what the COO said because he lives in a country where he has the inalienable right to say it. Moreover, I guess what I ultimately was getting at was that it shouldn't have been a surprise. The company has used traditional Christian values as a reason to close their doors every Sunday; why would anyone find this stance surprising?

That's what I meant.

But I guess what I didn't think about is exactly what Conor said: the message it sends to GLBT individuals already struggling in a society where they are being told who they are is an abomination. And even if that isn't the choice of words, its still the message. And I guess the point he made in his argument that hit me the most were his FACTS about Chick-Fil-A's financial support of initiatives to ban gay marriage; his FACTS about precisely all of the rights denied to GLBT individuals in the US; his FACTS in relation to Sally Ride's widow and what she is now facing as an unrecognized widow in the wake of her partner's death. That kind of brought it home for me.

I guess I don't really have anything more relevant to say other than, for as much as I love this country I live in, I have a lot of problems with the way it operates sometimes.

Also, I think the COO of Chick-Fil-A absolutely deserves the right to speak his mind without FEDERAL retribution; at this point, he has dealt with none. The retribution he faces is from the public and there is no Constitutional support for protection from public opinion. And while I disagree with a boycott, I think that if you are willing to admit your opinion, you should be prepared to deal with the consequences of the admission of that same opinion.

Because, if you think about it, he is exercising a right guaranteed to him from the basic tenets of the  Constitution and accompanying Civil Rights; GLBT do not share that same protection in their relationships. And in some cases, as Conor- again- pointed out with FACT, in their professions as well.

So in trying to synthesize my thoughts, this has what I have come to:

Chick-Fil-A needs to relax and weather the storm. There are so many people speaking out against Chick-Fil-A's opinion that a day of support- organized by Christian fundamentalists- has unofficially been scheduled for the restaurant to counter the negative publicity created as a result of the COO's newly publicized stance. If they so ardently support traditional Christianity to that extent, that needs to translate to all instances, including those that incite negative opinions. If you take a stance, fine; be willing to deal with the consequence of that position without expressing incredulity or injustice.

And for the GLBT individuals that have seen this situation as further oppression-- I HATE that for you all. I HATE that you all- or at least some portion of you- live in fear for your safety and comfort. I HATE that you live in a nation where your love and commitment is not considered as valid as my own. I HATE that anyone could use these kinds of situations as ammunition for a close-minded, hateful point of view. But mostly, I HATE that there is little I can do at present to change this injustice or redirect the hate that plagues so so so very many ignorant and intolerable people. Hang in there and know that, even if I don't fault an ignorant man and his company their opinion, I still find your legitimacy and value greater than them or anything they could ever be a part of.