Is It Just Chicken?

Posted on May 22, 2019 by Coco

When my son was on his high school wrestling team, one of the most popular places to order food for those day-long tournaments was Chick-fil-A. Knowing his concern for social justice issues, I asked what he and his friends thought about supporting a company with such a strong anti-LGBTQ reputation.

Perhaps not wanting to get drawn into a long conversation with his Mom, he said, “Sometimes chicken is just chicken.” But is it?

I was able to avoid grappling with the issue myself because the one Chick-fil-A near us closed before I had to order a team meal, but I thought about it again after stopping at Chick-fil-A on a recent road trip.

Is It Just Chicken?

Chick-fil-A was never a restaurant I went to or took my kids to, but once they discovered it they both became fans–until my daughter became vegan. I’m not going to lie, the chicken sandwiches are delicious, and don’t get me started on the fresh lemonade–perfection. That’s what got me in the door on my recent road trip, but I’m not sure I could spend my money there again.

I watched Boy Erased a few weeks ago, and it made me very sad and very angry. The whole premise of “conversion therapy” is an anathema, but the way this particular program used God to make the “patients” feel worse about themselves was disgusting. Maybe that’s how all of these programs operate, but telling a child that their very nature is abhorrent to God and that they need to change in order for God to love them has got to make Jesus cry.

Since seeing the movie, I heard that the Chick-fil-A owners support organizations that support conversion therapy. (A handful of states have laws that prohibit licensed mental health practitioners from treating minors to “change” their sexual orientation or gender identity, but even these protections exempt religious providers.) Even if they do other worthwhile things with their money, I can’t stomach the possibility that my purchase would support something I believe is so wrong. No matter how perfect their lemonade is, it’s just too hard to swallow.

I know I can’t keep track of how all my favorite brands spend their profits, but if an all-girls Catholic school has decided to permit same-sex marriage announcements in its alumnae magazine because “we are all children of God, … we each have dignity and are worthy of respect and love,” I think I can expect more from my chicken.

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14 Responses to Is It Just Chicken?

  1. Wendy says:
    May 22, 2019 at 7:46 am

    Holly and I just had this conversation this weekend. I have never eaten at Chik Fil A and I won’t. I just can’t.

  2. Kim at Running on the Fly says:
    May 22, 2019 at 8:36 am

    Ironically, I just saw a meme on FB yesterday that said it’s okay to not agree with others’ views/ideals, but when one starts forcing their views/ideals on others, that’s not okay (I’m paraphrasing). Too bad the chicken people aren’t abiding by that principle.

  3. kookyrunner says:
    May 22, 2019 at 8:48 am

    I have had Chik-Fil-A a few times (I can count on one hand) through out the years. Like you, it’s never been a go-to place for me. I personally won’t eat there but my family does. While they don’t agree with the anti-LGBTQ principles they say “its just chicken”. Personally I just can’t support them with my money.

    • Coco says:
      May 23, 2019 at 7:58 am

      That’s where I’ve ended up. Corporations have so much power thees days, we can’t vote them out but we can choose how we spend our money.

  4. Chaitali says:
    May 22, 2019 at 9:22 am

    I don’t eat at Chik-Fil-A but of course its easy for me since I’m vegetarian. But Mike doesn’t eat there either because of their funding anti LGBTQ organizations. I hadn’t heard of the movie, I’ll have to see if I can find it.

    • Coco says:
      May 23, 2019 at 7:59 am

      It’s a really hard movie – based on this man’s own experience.

    • Fairytales and fitness says:
      May 25, 2019 at 10:44 am

      I really dislike when national brands share their religious or political beliefs with the public. It puts customers in a bad situation because they feel that if they buy said product that they are supporting the companies belief. Just stick with sales..lol. But I don’t eat at Chik-Fil-A and I have a feeling if they continue down this road they may put themselves out of business.

  5. Betsy says:
    May 22, 2019 at 9:22 am

    It’s definitely not a place I will spend my money at. I think we say a lot by decidind which business we choose to shop at / dine at. Certainly I don’t know everything about every business but when I do know info I try to make decisions in line with my morals and beliefs. Great post btw!

    • Coco says:
      May 23, 2019 at 8:00 am

      Same here. I’m not dedicated enough to research every company, but once I have the information I’m not comfortable ignoring it.

  6. Chocolaterunsjudy says:
    May 22, 2019 at 2:40 pm

    I love this post. There are so many who use religion to exclude, rather than include. I think sometimes people just cling to hard to the literal world of the Bible.

    I watched the limited series The Red Line recently. They actually touched on this. It was a very interesting series (not at all what we were expecting).

  7. Marcia says:
    May 25, 2019 at 6:26 pm

    I’ve never eaten at a Chik-fil-A and I did not know this about them. Boo. I really can’t stand when people/companies do abhorrent things “in the name of God”. What an abomination.

  8. Denise says:
    May 28, 2019 at 3:26 pm

    I’m so disappointed! I love Chik-fil-A and was just saying how good their customer service is and love their French fries. Now I can’t eat there in good conscious. šŸ™ My girls are going to be disappointed too. Thanks for making me aware.

    • Coco says:
      June 2, 2019 at 3:10 pm

      Sorry to put you in such a dilemma. Maybe they’ll change and at least stop supporting conversion therapy, but they are pretty set in their beliefs.

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