Chick-fil-Gay...

Oh, Chick-fil-A, ne'er has one of your crispy, greasy, breasts passed over my lips, yet somehow you are still giving me gastrointestinal issues that only the overeating of your food should bring about. As all of you above-ground dwellers have surely heard by now, there is controversy surrounding Chick-fil-A and the cities of Chicago and Boston. Last week, Chicago Alderman Joe Moreno made what had to be a tough decision by declaring his plans to block the development of a Chick-fil-A in the Logan Square neighborhood that he represents. The plan was backed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and now the backlash is being felt by both. Some nasty words and statements are being thrown around in response to this, and normally I would be blissfully unaware of them, but I made the mistake of reading the comments people posted at the bottom of some of the online articles. When will I learn? And by the way? There are some people out there that are straight bringin the cray. They make me sad and a little scared. Anyway, back to the breast at hand...mmmmm, hands on breasts...uh, sorry...

I have given this issue a lot of thought in the last week. I've gone back and forth, and forth and back. I believe in free speech, so unfortunately I believe that people have a right to disagree with gay marriage based on personal or religious-based beliefs. But I also believe that gay marriage isn't about the biblical definition of marriage, but rather the marriage as defined by each state individually. So that being said, I believe that Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy has every right to run a Christian-based company that supports what he believes is the "traditional family". And he had every right to say that when it comes to having an anti-gay stance, his franchise was "guilty as charged". I think it was a bad decision, but I believe he had every right to say it. But I also believe that people have every right to stand up against that stance in any way that they see fit, which is what I believe Alderman Moreno is doing by saying "no" to them.

Lez be honest, we all knew that Chick-fil-A was a religious company, they're closed on Sundays for fists sake. I mean, they must be hardcore, because Sundays are one of the biggest days in terms of a need for hangover grease, so it's ballsy of them to stand firm and lose lots of hangover money. So, hearing the Christian thing was no big surprise. And a lot of us also know that they have donated millions and millions of dollars to anti-gay organizations over the years...millions. Not just one million, but millions. And "anti-gay" is being kind, they support organizations that would like to make "gay behavior" illegal, and would like to treat us as exports and just ship us out of the country. A lot of us know that, and based on that knowledge, I choose not to spend any of my money in any of those establishments. So I guess I also believe that consumers have a right to choose where they spend their money. This is why I was going back and forth and forth and back. I was fighting with myself internally, because I think consumers should decide where they spend their money. They can either go about things in a blissfully ignorant manner regarding the companies they support monetarily, or educate themselves about where the money goes, and choose to support places that support their own beliefs. BUT...big but, HUGE badonkadonk...I think what Alderman Moreno is doing in this case is the right thing to do.

The owners of the downtown Chicago Chick-fil-A are coming out saying that each franchise is independently owned and operated, which yes, they are. They've said that on an individual franchise level, they donate to a "wide variety of causes, including everything from churches to gay and lesbian organizations", which I don't doubt. You can be Christian and still like gays. You can be religious and still love a homo. I am a non-practicing Catholic, and what I mean by that is that I was baptized Catholic, raised Catholic, got confirmed, went to church, etc. I made the choice to stop going, initially because I was in my late teens and there was no fisting way I was waking up early to go to church. Eventually it was based on a lot of different reasons, mostly because of the Catholic church and their stance on homosexuality. Why the f*ck would I spend money and time supporting a religion that DOES NOT WANT ME and thinks I'm an abomination? Now, an argument has been made to me that there are certain Catholic churches that are very accepting of gay people. To that argument I say "so the f*ck what?". Just because some of the franchises under the Catholic church umbrella support a variety pack of people including gays and lesbians, does not change the fact that the huge-ass umbrella thinks I'm an abomination. And just like the Catholic church, just because a few of the franchises under the Chick-fil-A umbrella donate some of their dollars to a variety pack that includes gay & lesbian flavors, that doesn't change the fact that the huge-ass umbrella donates millions of dollars to causes that actively discriminate against gay people. That actively are spreading messages of hate about gay people. Actively. The money is working to help actively discriminate against tax paying citizens of this country who don't have equal rights. Shit is active.

The message that Chick-fil-A is sending, not just through Dan Cathy's words, but through their hefty anti-gay donations, is that same sex couples are not worthy of the same recognition that straight couples are. That gay couples are not deserving of the legal benefits, or rights, that are afforded to straight couples. That gay people are an abomination. The message that Alderman Moreno is sending is that he doesn't want to send THAT message to the people of Illinois, especially the ones that live in the neighborhood that he represents. He knows Chick-fil-A's message is a dangerous one, and what would he be saying to his people if he didn't say "no" to that kind of message? This is a man standing up for what he believes in. Intolerance and organizations that promote discrimination, and hate, are not going to be welcome in the neighborhood that he represents. And THAT is a message that I can stand with and support.

So Alderman Moreno, I thank you for your continued support of my community, as well as the human community. I applaud you for being able to make the hard decisions and stand by them.

And Chick-fil-A , if you don't want politics in your businesses, then keep your religion out of the chicken.


**This piece is obviously just my opinion, which I am entitled to. And if you disagree with my opinion, you are absolutely entitled to do so, but I'm not looking for a big ol fight, so if you try to engage me in one, you'll be ignored...and a pox will be put on your house**