Denver City Council members are hesitant on allowing Chick-fil-A to establish a branch at the Denver Airport on account of the fast food chain’s anti-gay history, according to the Denver Post .
In a statement to CNN Money , the City Council made their stance on gay issues pretty clear.
Denver has been at the forefront of honoring gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees and their families with non-discrimination clauses and partner benefits.
The council members raised concerns over Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy’s previous statements on gay marriage.
Back in 2012, Cathy, when asked on whether he stands by the “Biblical definition of gay marriage,” responded with the words “Guilty as charged.” Since then, Chick-fil-A has been the target of protests by gay rights advocates and the gay community.
As previously reported on Inquisitr, protests ensued anew in 2013 when Cathy took to Twitter to air his disappointment towards an approved Supreme Court ruling entitling same-sex couples to federal benefits. The tweet was quickly deleted, but not before it went its rounds across social media.
Sad day for our nation; founding fathers would be ashamed of our gen. to abandon wisdom of the ages re: cornerstone of strong societies.
After years of outrage and protests heaped on the fast food chain, Chick-fil-A adopted a more non-committal stance on the gay issue last year.
“All of us become more wise as time goes by. We sincerely care about all people. I’m going to leave it to politicians and others to discuss social issues,” said Cathy in an exclusive interview with USA Today .
Cathy hasn’t made further comments on the gay issue since then, even after the Supreme Court ruling allowing same-sex marriages nationwide was passed early this year.
Robin Kniech, the council’s first openly gay member, said she is concerned that the franchise might raise “corporate profits used to fund and fuel discrimination.”
Called on to comment on the issue, a spokeswoman for Chick-fil-A said that the company is “focused on serving great food and providing remarkable service to every single customer.”
Chick-fil-A, Inc. and its franchised restaurant owners are equal opportunity employers, with more than 75,000 individuals who represent many diverse viewpoints, opinions, backgrounds and beliefs.
Even amidst controversies, Chick-fil-A has enjoyed a reputation for exemplary customer service. In a 2013 customer service survey, Chick-fil-A topped the ratings for the second straight year with an 82 percent score. Chick-fil-A also earned the highest rank for customer satisfaction in the American Customer Satisfaction Index Restaurant Report in 2015.
[Photo from Tom Pennington/Getty Images]
