Despite assurances that Chick-Fil-A was
through supporting groups opposed to gay marriage, CEO Dan Cathy on
Tuesday tweeted support for an event backed by a group with links to
anti-gay marriage foes.
Chicago Alderman Proco “Joe” Moreno
on Wednesday asserted that he had dropped his opposition to a planned
Chick-Fil-A eatery in his ward after the company pledged to no longer
fund groups with “political agendas” and promised to include a
statement of respect for all sexual orientations in an internal memo
titled “Chick-Fil-A: Who We Are.”
Cathy messaged, “WinShape Ride for
the Family bikers locked and loaded for 200 mile ride to Wilmington
out of Charleston,” along with a photo of a pack of motorcyclists.
The ride is a fundraiser for the
Marriage and Family Foundation (MFF), gay glossy The
Advocate reported.
According to Equality
Matters, MFF, which changed its name from the Marriage and Family
Legacy Fund in 2008, is a project of Marriage CoMission, which is
backed by anti-gay activists such as Exodus International's Alan
Chambers and Citizens for Community Values' Barry Sheets.
WinShape, Chick-Fil-A's political arm,
has donated millions of dollars to MFF's mission of promoting
“stable, lasting marriages.”
Meanwhile, Chick-Fil-A's entire memo
was also released on Thursday. In it, the company insists it has
always respected people based on sexual orientation and suggests it
has been unfairly attacked.
“For many months now, Chick-Fil-A's
corporate giving has been mischaracterized,” the independent owners
wrote.
(Related: Chick-Fil-A
gave $2 million to anti-gay groups in 2009.)
“A part of our corporate commitment
is to be responsible stewards of all that God has entrusted to us.
Because of this commitment, Chick-Fil-A's giving heritage is focused
on programs that educate youth, strengthen families and enrich
marriages, and support communities. We will continue to focus on
giving in those areas. Our intent is not to support political or
social agendas.”
“As we have stated, the Chick-Fil-A
culture and service tradition in our restaurants is to treat every
person with honor, dignity and respect – regardless of their
belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender.”