I know we have some Chick-fil-a fans... but this may change your mind.

Yes, Chick-fil-A Says, We Explicitly Do Not Like Same-Sex Couples

if it's a question of equal rights I think offended parties should head up north to my fav. chicken joint....

with a name like ___________, it has to be good.

Chick-fil-A's owner being a hard-core Christian isn't exactly a secret. I mean, they're a fast-food restaurant that's closed on Sunday, which would even be weird in this country.

Must not think about waffle fries... must not..... loosing.... doh!

Much as I abhor racism, homophobia and discrimination in way, shape or form, I also respect the rights of a privately-owned business to refuse to serve anyone they want. If you disagree with their policy, don't give them your custom.

I love Chick Fil A. Wish that had one here.

If they would just not say anything, they could avoid the whole controversy. How many normal businesses do this?

I think it is sensible for people who feel strongly about the position of a company to refuse to do business with them.

I think that people who "allow" themselves to be swayed by the beliefs of heads of businesses though would find themselves with very few places to spend or even donate money if they really knew who had been involved with what.

Take United Way for example. One of the organisations which is supported by them and more importantly, influenced by them is Boy Scouts. Did you know that they've refused children of Atheist parents membership simply because the parents are Atheist?

One of the companies I refuse to give money to or advertise for is Affinity Media. This company is of use to people who are into (computer) gaming as they run many of the sites with information on quests, in game items and so on. The reason I won't give them money is because one of the members of their board (previous CEO Brock Pierce) was involved with child trafficking through his "mentor" Mark Collins-Rector.

So, combined with your article (old news btw, that article is from January), just skimming the top of companies / organisations I pay attention to (I used to donate money to UW straight from my paycheck), it's easy to see that there are a lot of people who think and do things we don't like.

I choose to not do business with them, it's up to us individually to decide where to draw the line.

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The Joys of Opticianry

So if I'm black, it's OK to refuse my business?
So if I'm handicapped, it's OK to refuse my business?
So if I'm lesbian, it's OK to refuse my business?
So if I'm a pro-lifer, it's OK to refuse my business?
So if I drive a tractor, it's OK to refuse my business?

I believe there are laws against such things. At least I would hope so.

Again, it's the first thing I was told when I got here. Mega religious place, not open on Sundays etc etc.

They do a lovely Spicy Chicken sandwich though.

I go there now and again.

To avoid going to or using products from companies that had some sort of unnappealing ethos or shady past, you would have to strike many places and product off your list.

Yup, there are lots of places I avoid going to for those reasons.

Just to clarify--

The article does not say that Chic-fil-a refuses to serve LGBT people/couples. It indicates that the company is opposed to same-sex marriage and non-heterosexual couples. It does not allow gay couples to utilize its retreat facility, part of the company's charitable division. It also indicates that Chic-fil-a supports other charitable organizations that espouse the same beliefs.

From the article:

And so it goes like this: Chick-fil-A is a restaurant where franchises frequently donate to anti-gay organizations like the Pennsylvania Family Institute, Focus on the Family and others. The restaurant's charitable arm, WinShape, holds conferences for opponents of gay marriage and praises their work. And this charitable arm's Retreat program puts a blanket ban on gay couples using their facilities, because they "do not accept homosexual couples."


Distasteful and offensive, for sure, but really not the same as their restaurants refusing to serve people based upon their sexual orientation.

Oh, yeah. They're pretty bad. I was in one in Virginia (???) which had a "mission statement" that was all about the glory of god. I can't find that on their website though. But they do have this. And it's required for franchisees to close on Sunday.

I do too...but have you ever tasted their lemonade????

"OK"? No, it's not, but that's a matter of opinion. But it is well within their rights.

Nope. A business is under no obligation to provide their services to any group*. Ironically though, there are laws that say you must hire all of those people. Just not serve them.

If you drive a tractor, that would be a definite no no!

Actually "refuse to serve" was my spin on it. My apologies.
Just to say though, if an organisation had such beliefs and policies, why would you want to benefit from their services in the 1st place?

Distasteful as it is, it isn't actually illegal to think the way they do.

The drive through I go to is a bit tight. You'd never get round it in a tractor. Oh wait, maybe that's why they built it so tight. Hmmmmmm!

yup there are, doesn't matter if your business is privately owned or not. cannot discriminate against protected classes. hipsters arent a protected class though, so feel free to refuse them service for wearing skinny jeans.

this is wrong

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Rights_Act_of_1964

I think the important thing here is to know where your money, as a customer of any business, is going. If it's going to support something you find unethical or immoral, then you might want to switch to a competitor.

Or on the flipside... if you find that a business is contributing to something that you hold near and dear to your heart.... maybe you'd want to support them more.