Chick-fil-A is putting a stop to its anti-gay donations.
According to The Civil Rights Agenda (TCRA), the fast food company’s change of course is the result of negotiations between Chick-fil-A and Alderman “Proco Joe” Moreno. In July, Moreno moved to block Chick-fil-A from opening a restaurant in Chicago’s Northwest Side ward because of the company’s anti-gay stance.
“Alderman Moreno has confirmed that Chick-fil-A will no longer give money to anti-gay organizations and that they have clarified in an internal document that the company will treat every person equally, regardless of sexual orientation,” said a TCRA press release.
A letter to Moreno, signed by Chick-fil-A's Senior Director of Real Estate, states:
“The WinShape Foundations is now taking a much closer look at the organizations it considers helping, and in that process will remain true to its stated philosophy of not supporting organizations with political agendas.â┚¬ÂÂ
According to TCRA, WinShape is a non-profit funded by Chick-fil-A which has donated millions of dollars to anti-gay organizations including National Organization for Marriage and Focus on the Family.
“It has taken months of discussion, both with our organization and with the Alderman, for Chick-fil-A to come forward with these concessions and we feel this is a strong step forward for Chick-fil-A and the LGBT community, although it is only a step,” said Anthony Martinez, TCRA executive director, in a media release.
TCRA also reports that Chick-fil-A has sent an internal memo to franchises and stakeholders stating that the company will â┚¬Å”treat every person with honor, dignity and respect-regardless of their beliefs, race, creed, sexual orientation and genderâ┚¬Â and that their â┚¬Å”intent is not to engage in political or social debates.â┚¬ÂÂ
Rick Garcia, TCRA policy advisor, said the memo is just a first step regarding internal policy.
â┚¬Å”It is one thing for a company to say they respect everyone they serve and employ, it is quite another for them to put that into their policies and demand that all employees adhere to that behavior,” Garcia said. “As we have heard from gay employees that work for Chick-fil-A, there is a culture of discrimination within the company and we would like to ensure that employees can speak out and call attention to those practices without fear of reprisal. It takes time to change the culture of any institution and steps like a corporate policy ensure that progress is made.â┚¬ÂÂ
As a result of Chick-fil-A’s change of heart, Alderman Moreno has announced he will allow the restaurant to build in Northwest Side ward.
