Chick-fil-A, the fast-food chain specializing in chicken, donated $1.8 million to groups with a history of anti-LGBTQ discrimination in 2017.
In tax filings obtained by Think Progress, Chick-fil-A reportedly donated $1,653,416 to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, which requires its employees to sign a policy that they will maintain “sexual purity” and not engage in “homosexual acts.” The fast-food chain also donated $6,000 to the Paul Anderson Youth Home, a Christian residential home for troubled youth that teaches that same-sex marriage is “rage against Jesus Christ and His values;” and $150,000 to the Salvation Army which is notoriously anti-LGBTQ.
The donations were also listed on the company’s website with a notice that it would no longer be donating to Paul Anderson Youth Home.
“In 2017, a decision was made by the Chick-fil-A Foundation to no longer donate to the group after a blog post from 2010 surfaced that does not meet Chick-fil-A’s commitment to creating a welcoming environment to all,” Chick-fil-A said in a statement at the time.
In 2012 Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy controversially deemed same-sex marriage as “inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at him and say we know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage.”
Chick-fil-A has denied discrimination towards any group in the past. The company released a statement saying that its donations weren’t made with an anti-LGBTQ agenda in mind.
“To suggest our giving was done to support a political or non-inclusive agenda is inaccurate and misleading,” Chick-fil-A said in a statement to CBS News.
