NOH8 Supports Chick-Fil-H8 Boycott

Wednesday, August 1st, 2012

Contrary to what opponents of equal rights would have you believe, the recent calls to boycott Chick-Fil-A have nothing to do with the affirmations by Chick-Fil-A President Dan Cathy that he is indeed against equal marriage rights - however discriminatory those beliefs may be. The origins of the boycott go much deeper than that, and they're important to differentiate from Dan Cathy's personal remarks.

In late 2011, Equality Matters reported that Chick-Fil-A's charitable arm (The Winshape Foundation) donated nearly $2 Million Dollars to Anti-Gay Organizations in 2009 alone. Where did the Winshape Foundation come up with $2 Million Dollars? A perentage of proceeds from each and every sale at every single Chick-Fil-A location automatically goes to The Winshape Foundation, portions of which are then funneled to anti-gay groups. If you'd like to read more about some of these anti-gay groups and in what ways they work against the gay community, check out our January Blog Post calling for the Chick-Fil-A Boycott.

We realize that Chick-Fil-A locations all over the country are independently owned, and those owners might not personally agree with Dan Cathy's anti-gay stance - and we respect that. Some locations may very well employ openly gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals, and they may also very well treat every single customer who comes into their establishment with the utmost respect. The bottom line, however, is that no matter how individual locations might treat LGBT employees and customers in person, patronizing any Chick-Fil-A location to any extent is directly funding efforts to oppress and invalidate the LGBT community.

The NOH8 Campaign hosted a joint boycott and photo shoot at Hollywood's Studio 1444 in January, which was located directly next to the Hollywood Chick-Fil-A. Hundreds of people turned out to show their support for equal rights and to protest. The line for the photo shoot wrapped around Chick-Fil-A, and many people brought protest signs to display while they waited.

We've included just a few of the photos taken that day to illustrate the range of people who took part, all of whom are affected by the anti-gay agenda of Chick-Fil-A in their own way. 2012 London Olympian Carol Rodriguez from Puerto Rico even stopped by to show her support!

As anti-gay groups all over the country have made August 1st 'Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day,' we hope you share this post with your friends and family and encourage them to participate in the boycott. Remember that education is important; make sure people understand exactly why you're boycotting!

In response to today's 'Appreciation Day,' many supporters of the Chick-Fil-A Boycott are donating $6.50 - or the approximate cost of a chicken dinner - to LGBT organizations all over the country. You can donate to the NOH8 Campaign in Chick-Fil-A's name by clicking here!

BE HEARD!