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A Chicago alderman says he is backing down from an effort to block Chick-fil-A from building a new restaurant in his ward, after he said the fast-food chain promised to promote respect and stop funding groups that oppose gay marriage.
Proco “Joe” Moreno, who over the summer had threatened to undermine plans for a new Chick-fil-A in his neighborhood after comments surfaced revealing the company president’s opposition to same-sex marriage, told the Chicago Tribune that he is relenting. The about face comes after Moreno said he received promises from the chain to not contribute to organizations that oppose gay marriage and to provide all its employees with an internal document that highlights the organization’s commitment to respect for all people, regardless of background.
Continue ReadingIn a statement emailed to POLITICO Wednesday, Chick-fil-A did not dispute Moreno’s account of the agreement, instead reiterating comments about staying out of politics.
“The Chick-fil-A culture and service tradition in our restaurants is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect –regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender,” the statement read, noting later, “Going forward, our intent is to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena.”
“We’re confident enough that we agreed to move forward with them,” Matt Bailey, Moreno’s spokesman, told POLITICO.
“Prior to today, Chick-fil-A had a poor record when it came to acknowledging equal rights for all of our citizens, regardless of their sexual orientation,” read a statement from Moreno’s office that was emailed to POLITICO. “Prior to today, Chick-fil-A funneled money to groups associated with anti-LGBT agendas. Prior to today, Chick-fil-A felt it was “not necessary” to formally address their policies towards the LGBT community. But today, we have a new path: For the first time, Chick-fil-A has changed their practices and promised the workplace protections that all of our citizens deserve. Instead of being a company that openly promotes discrimination, Chick-fil-A has vowed to move forward.”
The Civil Rights Agenda, the largest LGBT advocacy group in Illinois, offered additional details about the deal in a statement.
“In meetings the company executives clarified that they will no longer give to anti-gay organizations, such as Focus on the Family and the National Organization for Marriage,” according to the press release from The Civil Rights Agenda.
Carrie Kintz, a spokeswoman for Focus on the Family, declined to comment Wednesday. But the National Organization for Marriage pushed back, saying in a statement that the organization had never received money from Chick-fil-A’s non-profit foundation.
Bailey said he couldn’t comment on the specific organizations discussed in Chick-fil-A’s meeting with the alderman.
