Mayors Michael Bloomberg of New York
City and Ed Lee of San Francisco disagree on whether Chick-Fil-A
should be banned from cities over its opposition to gay marriage.
After Chick-Fil-A President Dan Cathy
conceded that his company is opposed to gay marriage and supports
groups opposed to the institution (donating $5 million between 2003
and 2010), Boston Mayor Thomas Menino wrote a scathing letter to
Cathy in which he said that his fast-food chain was not welcome in
Boston. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel agreed, saying, “Chick-Fil-A's
values are not Chicago values.”
(Related: Rick
Santorum defends Chick-Fil-A from Thomas Menino, Rahm Emanuel
attacks.)
But Bloomberg, a strong marriage
equality advocate, said he “really strongly” disagrees with
banning a business based on the personal beliefs of its CEO.
“You can't have a test for what the
owners' personal views are before you decide to give a permit to do
something in the city,” Bloomberg told reporters on Friday. “You
really don't want to ask [about] political beliefs or religious
beliefs before you issue a permit, that's just not government's job.”
Lee on Thursday tweeted, “Very
disappointed #ChickFilA doesn't share San Francisco's values &
strong commitment to equality for everyone.” He added in a second
message: “Closest #ChickFilA to San Francisco is 40 miles away &
I strongly recommend that they not try to come any closer.”