As someone who's deeply involved in Seattle's gay community, I find it interesting that everyone's all up in arms about Chik-Fil-A right now. The LGBT world, at least the one I run in, has known about Dan Cathy's conservative christian, anti-gay values for years. As far as we know, though, the company doesn't ban gays from working the fryer, or sitting at the counter, so to speak, so we've continued to be okay with eating there.
Everyone in America has an opinion about marriage equality, including all the CEOs and owners of large corporations. Howard Schultz came out in support of gay marriage in Washington, so a boycott was organized by those who disagreed with him. Now that the Cathy family's opinions are front page news, everyone's fighting over the politics of eating at Chik-Fil-A.
Let me repeat: Everyone in America has an opinion about marriage equality. Every business you bless with your consumer dollars --whether it's the mom & pop dry cleaner down the street, or a major grocery chain, or Starbucks, or Chik-Fil-A -- the person in charge has an opinion about whether a lesbian should marry another lesbian. Do you care what they all think? Are all of your decisions based on that person's opinion? Or does it only matter if they say it to the press?
In the end, it will be obvious that those against marriage equality are on the wrong side of history. Right now, though, your decision whether or not to drink coffee or eat chicken does nothing to further the political fight to get all Americans the rights they deserve.
So maybe, before you call for that protest, or that boycott of a chicken franchise, you should ask yourself what you're really accomplishing. Are you just a needy person that requires a big group of people to stand with you and say No, you're wrong to someone who disagrees with you? Would your energy be better spent out talking to folks about the issue in a less polarizing way, or campaigning for change?
Chik-Fil-A has nothing to do with the real issue here. If you want to discuss the welfare of the chicken used in that sandwich, great, I'm in. That's a relevant subject. But this current conversation isn't furthering the fight for marriage equality at all, so let's stop having it and do something productive instead.
Drink Coffee. Eat chicken. Or don't. That's your decision. And when it comes to getting marriage equality in this country, what you had for lunch really doesn't matter.
