Chick-fil-A Ends Donations To Anti-LGBTQ Groups, Draws Backlash From Christian Conservatives

Fried chicken fast-food chain Chick-fil-A said Monday that it has stopped donating to Christian charities with anti-LGBTQ stances. The restaurant chain had previously supported The Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, two faith-based organizations that oppose same-sex marriage.

Chick-fil-A has not yet provided a clear answer as to why it is no longer backing the organizations, but that the company's donations will focus on "education, homelessness, and hunger."

The Salvation Army said in a statement that it is “saddened to learn that a corporate partner has felt it necessary to divert funding to other hunger, education and homelessness organizations — areas in which The Salvation Army, as the largest social services provider in the world, is already fully committed.”

Some LGBTQ rights organizations have said that the decision is not enough.

"If Chick-fil-A is serious about their pledge to stop holding hands with divisive anti-LGBTQ activists, then further transparency is needed regarding their ties to organizations like Focus on the Family, which exist purely to harm LGBTQ people and families," Drew Anderson, the director of campaigns and rapid response for LGBTQ rights group GLAAD said.

Prominent conservatives struck back at the move. "The sad message of @ChickfilA is quite clear – they surrendered to anti-Christian hate groups. Tragic," former GOP Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said in response to the decision.

"Really Chick-fil-A? This is the direction you want to go? You've garnered the unconditional support of millions not in spite of but because of your stances, which is the sole reason you're successful. Idiocy. Bye!" conservative commentator and frequent Fox News guest Allie Beth Stuckey tweeted.

Chick-fil-A is well-known for being a company run by Christians, as restaurants close on Sundays. Its founder, S. Truett Cathy, was a devout Baptist and said in a 2012 interview that he believes marriage is between a man and a woman. LGBTQ activists were angered by the interview and held LGBTQ "kiss day" events at Chick-fil-A locations across the country in response.

Despite the controversy, the company's sales have skyrocketed. Sales grew by 16.7% in 2018 and Chick-fil-A has become the third-largest restaurant chain in the U.S. behind McDonald's and Starbucks.