Over the past several decades, people have become more accepting than ever of the LGBTQ+ community, as marriage and adoption have become increasingly available options, and representation has become much more common than it once was. Unfortunately, there are a few organizations who are yet to join the progressive society of today, like Chick-Fil-A (CFA), a wildly popular fast-food restaurant where almost everyone has eaten. Many are unaware that CFA is a massively homophobic organization—in fact, a Huffpost article by Amanda Chatel, stated it is one of the top seven anti-LGBTQ+ businesses in the country.

“Once, I went to Chick-Fil-A and saw them turn away a gay couple. I was in line, and they said to the people in front of me, ‘You’re gay; we can’t serve you,’ and made them leave. I was so furious,” Alessia Blasigh (9) said.

Now, before disregarding this as a rumor or falsehood, consider this:

CFA funds the National Christian Foundation, an organization that has supported and funded programs that oppose LGBTQ+ rights. Most recently in Uganda, a bill has been announced that would allow anyone in the LGBTQ+ community—or any of their supporters, for that matter—to be arrested and depending on the severity of the “transgression,” receive the death penalty.

   “Their food is good, but people act like that’s a valid counter for their homophobia. Good food doesn’t justify their hate for the LGBT community and it doesn’t make up for the people they’ve hurt,” Connor Cummings (11) said.

CFA also supports the use of conversion therapy, a practice that has been rejected by nearly every mainstream medical and mental health establishment for decades due to lack of evidence necessary to prove that it works, and the unethicality it entails—conversion therapy is, quite literally, the practice of torturing an individual into being heterosexual. Victims of conversion therapy often gain anxiety disorder and depression from the incident.

“This assumption [that sexuality can be changed] is not based on medical or scientific evidence. Professional consensus rejects pathologizing homosexuality and gender nonconformity and evidence does not support the efficacy of changing sexual orientation,” a member of the American Medical Association said. 

Homosexuality is not a sin. Homosexuality has never been a sin. There is nothing wrong with being gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual, transgender, or anything else on the spectrum. Let people love who they love. And if you ever need help reporting an act of discrimination, please do not hesitate to reach out to one of our school counselors.