Manhattan Chick-fil-A vandalized during LGBT pride parade
A Chick-fil-A restaurant was vandalized during a gay pride parade in New York City last weekend, apparently over the beliefs of the fast-food company’s president.
As reported by The Daily Caller, photos emerged over the weekend as the World Pride Parade took place Sunday to close out Pride month 2019.
The photos appear to show the vandalized front window of the Chick-fil-A location on 46th Street in Manhattan.
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The phrase “F*ck haters” was written in black marker on a piece of tape that was used to create a giant pink X on the storefront window. The X was placed right above vinyl lettering on the window that says “Home of the Original Chicken Sandwich.”
Another photo obtained and shared by the Daily Caller shows what appears to be “F*ck haters” also written on the storefront window in marker.
Another strand of pink tape was placed across the restaurant’s entrance. A sign was also placed in the entranceway that reads: “LOVE is a terrible thing to waste.”
Considering that the parade was held on Sunday, the Chick-fil-A was closed during that time.
Manhattan Chick-Fil-A Vandalized During Pride Event https://t.co/T8PDvHUd6V#DCExclusives#DCExclusivesOriginalReporting via @DailyCallerpic.twitter.com/cLD4hMqgGg
— Chris ???????? (@Chris_1791) June 30, 2019
Although Chick-fil-A’s chicken sandwiches are loved by millions and the fast-food chain is now the nation’s third largest, LGBT activists and liberals have called for a boycott of the company since its president, Dan Cathy, voiced opposition to gay marriage in 2012.
Cathy, a Baptist, stated on a radio show at the time that “we’re 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.”
Cathy claimed that he prays for God to have “mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude“ and has the “audacity to redefine what marriage is all about.”
Cathy, the son of Chick-fil-A founder S. Truett Cathy, later told Baptist Press that the company is “very much supportive” of the “biblical definition of the family unit.”
“We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that,” Cathy said. "We operate as a family business ... our restaurants are typically led by families; some are single. We want to do anything we possibly can to strengthen families. We are very much committed to that.”
“We intend to stay the course," he added. "We know that it might not be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord, we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles."
In New York City, there has been strong opposition from liberals and political elites to the fast-food chain.
Mayor Bill de Blasio, who is now in the 2020 race for U.S. president, supported a boycott of Chick-fil-A in 2016 as it opened up a restaurant in Queens. The first Chick-fil-A restaurant in New York City opened in 2015.
In a statement at the time, Chick-fil-A responded to the criticism.
"The Chick-fil-A culture and service tradition in our restaurants is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect — regardless of their beliefs, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender,” the statement reads. “We are a restaurant company comprised of 80,000 individuals who represent different backgrounds and beliefs, and we are all focused on offering great food, service and hospitality."
A columnist for the New Yorker last year called the brand’s growth in New York City an “infiltration” of "creepy pervasive Christian traditionalism."
Across the nation, Chick-fil-A has also faced other forms of backlash. In a number of instances, Chick-fil-A has been banned from doing business at airports and college campuses.
The Federal Aviation Administration admitted earlier this year that it is investigating whether or not Chick-fil-A was discriminated against after it was banned from two airports — Buffalo Niagara International Airport and San Antonio International Airport.
"We are a restaurant company focused on food and hospitality for all, and we have no social or political stance,” a company spokesperson told The Hill in a statement. “We welcome and embrace all people, regardless of religion, race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity.”
In June, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill into law that protects Chick-fil-A and other businesses that donate to organizations that uphold a traditional definition of marriage.
The legislation was introduced after San Antonio City Council banned Chick-fil-A from opening up a restaurant in the city’s international airport.
Earlier this year, the head of Chick-fil-A’s charity arm responded to the backlash of the organization’s long-standing financial partnerships with organizations like the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes to empower struggling inner-city communities.
ThinkProgress reported that the foundation donated $1.8 million to groups deemed to “discriminatory” and “anti-LGBTQ” because of their views on marriage.
"For us, that's a much higher calling than any political or cultural war that's being waged,” Rodney Bullard, the executive director of the Chick-fil-A Foundation, told Business Insider. “This is really about an authentic problem that is on the ground, that is present and ever-present in the lives of many children who can't help themselves.”
