The next
city to tell Chick-fil-A to keep out? San Francisco.
Edwin M.
Lee, mayor of the progressive city, tweeted Thursday night: "Very
disappointed #ChickFilA doesn't share San Francisco's values & strong
commitment to equality for everyone."
He also
added a warning to his subsequent tweet: "Closest #ChickFilA to San
Francisco is 40 miles away & I strongly recommend that they not try to come
any closer."
Until
Thursday, San Francisco had stayed mum on the debate, which began when
Chick-fil-A's president, Dan Cathy, went on the record as saying his
Atlanta-based chicken chain operated on biblical values and opposed same-sex
marriage.
He told an
interviewer last week that the fast-food giant was “guilty as charged” of
supporting “the biblical definition of the family unit,”
Since his
comments, the reaction has been intense. Boston Mayor Thomas Menino told the
Boston Herald that he no longer wanted Chick-fil-A in his city. Muppets creator
Jim Henson Co. backed out of a partnership with the chain to make kids-meal
toys.
Later,
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel issued a statement saying the company did not share
"Chicago's values."
On Thursday,
at a newly opened Chick-fil-A restaurant in Laguna Hills, customers were met by
a group of protesters who urged them to buy fast food elsewhere.
Conservatives
have been rallied by former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, who has urged
supporters to swarm into Chick-fil-A restaurants on Aug. 1. Conservative
commentator Michelle Malkin blogged that Menino’s “beef with the beloved
chicken sandwich supplier is as full of holes as Chick-fil-A’s trademark waffle
fries.”
“When an elected
public official wields the club of government against a Christian business in
the name of 'tolerance,' it’s not harmless kid stuff,” Malkin wrote. “It’s
chilling.”
Last week,
Chick-fil-A issued a statement saying it would “leave the policy debate over
same-sex marriage to the government and political arena." The company
added that it has always aimed to “treat every person with honor, dignity and
respect -- regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or
gender.”
No reaction
yet from Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who supports same-sex marriage
and is mayor to a city with a sizable LGBT population.
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