Despite donations to anti-gay groups in the millions, fast food chain Chick-fil-A's executives have long been in the closet about the company's stance on gay rights, chief among them same-sex marriage.
But CEO Don Cathy shed some light on the company's official mindset, answering "guilty as charged" when asked by Baptist Press about supporting traditional family values.
"We are very much supportive of the family – the biblical definition of the family unit," Cathy, who oversees the operations of the 1,608-strong chain of restaurants. "We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that."
As recently as March 2011, Cathy was denying allegations that Chick-fil-A was anti-gay marriage, even as the company, which raked in more than $4bn last year, has donated millions to anti-gay groups such as the Marriage and Family Legacy Fund and Focus on the Family.
Cathy said that Chick-fil-A had "no agenda against anyone" at that time.
Reactions to Chick-fil-A's updated stance have ranged from comical to outraged. For starters, The Hangover star Ed Helms tweeted
Wednesday that the chain had lost a fan:
Meanwhile, YouTube-famous chef Hilah Johnson released a "Chick-Fil-Gay" video recipe, so boycotters could recreate the chain's famously tasty chicken sandwich:
Despite pockets of protest, the Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A remains a hugely popular chain, especially in states where the number of stores are in the hundreds. (There's only one in New York.) Take a look at where the largest concentration of stores are:
And in places where there are only a few outposts, the announcement of a new store (or food truck, in DC's case), results in mass hysteria and lines around the block, especially since the company tends to maximize openings by offering tons of free food.
If you fit the traditional man-woman marriage mold, the company's free food bonanzas are even known to bring couples like Christina Heise and Matthew Robinson together – the two met while indulging in the Chick-fil-A-approved tradition of camping out for free fast food coupons.
