Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has
said Chick-Fil-A President Dan Cathy is “getting crucified” for
opposing gay marriage.
Palin made headlines over the weekend
when she expressed support for the beleaguered fast-food chain in a
series of tweets.
Cathy unleashed a firestorm of
controversy when he said gay marriage is “inviting God's judgment
on our nation.” He pivoted
in a subsequent interview, insisting “we don't have an anti-gay
or anti-anything policy or attitude toward anybody that's out there.”
Between 2003 and 2010, Chick-Fil-A gave nearly $5 million to groups
opposed to gay rights, according to Equality
Matters.
Appearing on Fox News, Palin discussed
the backlash against the company.
“Well, that calling for a boycott …
has a chilling effect on our First Amendment rights,” Palin said.
“And the owner of the Chick-Fil-A business had merely voiced his
personal opinion about supporting traditional definition of marriage.
One boy, one girl, falling in love, getting married. And having
voiced his support for kind of that cornerstone of all civilization
and all religions since the beginning of time, he then basically [is]
getting crucified.”
Palin added that she supported “anybody
else who would wish to express their not anti-gay people sentiment,
but their support of traditional marriage.”
(Related: Sarah
Palin at Chick-Fil-A segment on CNN begins with Pink's Stupid
Girls.)