The following is an editorial and does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of The Drury Mirror.

You can’t find many people (who eat meat) that haven’t eaten at Chick-fil-A at least once. We all know Chick-fil-A. Its red sign and cursive logo is just as recognizable as McDonald’s golden arch, and its fried chicken is beloved by people across the country.

The problem with Chick-fil-A is the company’s rhetoric, and the organizations that it supports.

Chick-fil-A is a company founded on Christian ideals. The company’s founder, S. Truett Cathy, was a devout Southern Baptist. The company’s corporate statement is “To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.”

Obviously, there’s no problem with Chick-fil-A holding these ideals, but there is a problem when the organizations it supports aren’t as welcoming.

Refusing to support hate organizations

It makes sense that the company would support groups that hold similar Christian ideals, and again, there’s no problem with the company donating to whichever organizations it wants.

The real problem is that many of the charities and organizations that the Chick-fil-A Foundation donates money to are harshly anti-LGBTQ.

These organizations include groups like the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Exodus International and the Family Research Council. The Family Research Council was classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center in 2012.

Backlash over the years has increased steadily, though Chick-fil-A has shown no signs of stopping its donations to these groups. In fact, donations have increased. In 2017, Chick-fil-A donated 1.65 million dollars to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, an organization that has banned its employees from “homosexual acts.”

No excuses

There shouldn’t be any excuses for Chick-fil-A and its behavior. This is a company that actively donates money to anti-LGBTQ organizations and a verified hate group. In this day and age, behavior like this should not be acceptable. We need to come together and stop supporting Chick-fil-A. We need to show the company that if it won’t change, it won’t get our business.

Article by Ryan Smith.