Chick-fil-A faces NYS ‘road’block
Chick-fil-A restaurants don’t belong at New York state highway rest stops because of the company’s history of opposition to LGBTQ rights, claim several New York lawmakers.
In a letter to Thruway Authority Executive Director Matthew Driscoll, Assemblyman Harry Bronson (D-Rochester) asked that the Atlanta-based fast food chain be excluded from a list of eateries given contracts as part of a $450 million overhaul of 27 highway service areas.
Statements disparaging LGBTQ rights by Chick-fil-A’s chief executive, Dan Cathy — whose father, S. Truett Cathy, founded the $8.4 billion company in 1946 — should disqualify the chain from the state business, said Bronson’s letter signed by two Manhattan Democrats, Assemblywoman Deborah Glick and Aseemblyman Danny O’Donnell — who are openly gay, according to the Auburn Citizen.
“Bigotry and discrimination are not New York state values,” Assembly member Linda Rosenthal (D-Manhattan) said in a statement.
Chick-fil-A’s foundation has given money to anti-LGBTQ organizations and supported opponents of same-sex marriage ballot initiatives, according to the report. Chick-fil-A’s restaurants are also closed on Sundays — missing out on more than $1 billion in revenue — so that its employees can go to church if they choose to.
The Thruway Authority said in a statement that it supports an “inclusive environment that treats the tens of millions of people that travel our system with dignity and respect,” adding that “there are no state taxpayer dollars or toll payer funds” being used to fund the redevelopments.
Chick-fil-A said that it does “not have a political or social agenda, and we welcome everyone in our restaurants.” It noted a 2019 company pledge to support just three causes: education, homelessness and hunger., adding that it’s “excited about the partnership and the opportunity to further serve the residents of New York.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), meanwhile, took to Twitter to support Chick-fil-A, saying he hopes “this threat is all bluster from left-wing New York politicians.”