Pete Buttigieg says he likes Chick-fil-A's chicken but NOT its politics as rising Democratic star offers to 'broker a peace deal' between 'anti-gay' fast food chain and LGBTQ community
Democratic presidential contender Pete Buttigieg says he does not approve of Chick-fil-A's politics but 'kind of' approves of its chicken.
The mayor of South Bend, Indiana, drew laughs from the hosts of The Breakfast Club morning show on Tuesday for his answer.
Buttigieg, who is gay and married, suggested that he could forge a peace deal between the LGBTQ community and the Atlanta-based fast-food chain, which has donated millions over the years to groups that oppose same-sex marriage.
The question arose as Buttigieg discussed various ways people from different backgrounds could come together.
He says, 'So maybe if nothing else I can build that bridge. Maybe I'll become in a position to broker that peace deal.'
Chick-fil-A has faced accusations that it is anti-gay since 2012 when its president, Dan Cathy, publicly opposed gay marriage.
Cathy claimed America is 'inviting God's judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at him and say we know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage.'
The company later vowed in a Facebook statement to 'leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena'.
The company, founded in 1946 by Cathy’s father, S. Truett Cathy, has come under fire for donating more millions of dollars to Christian organizations with a well-known anti-gay agenda, among them the Marriage & Family Foundation and the Family Research Council.
Last week, it was learned that the restaurant was blocked from opening at San Antonio International Airport in April 2020 due to its donations to organizations that have expressed anti-LGBTQ views.
International Economic Development Council president Jeff Finkle said after including Chick-fil-A in a conference on equality that he believed the company was reforming and that its tax returns would reflect that.
But tax returns show the Chick-fil-A Foundation gave $1,653,416 to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, $6,000 to the Paul Anderson Youth Home, and $150,000 to the Salvation Army in 2017. It was even more than in 2016.
It was reported the Salvation Army had opposed legal protection for the LGBTQ community, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes had a policy that banned 'homosexual acts' and the Paul Anderson Youth Home taught troubled residents that homosexuality was wrong.
The chicken strip restaurant told Think Progress they stopped donating to the youth home after a 'blog post from 2010 surfaced that does not meet Chick-fil-A's commitment to creating a welcoming environment to all'.
But the damage was already done for the City of San Antonio, which on Thursday revealed District 1 City Councilman Roberto Treviño had made a motion to approve the Food, Beverage and Retail Prime Concession Agreement with Paradies Lagardère 'provided that it exclude the Chick-Fil-A concept'.
The amendment was approved by a vote of 6-4.
Treviño said in a statement: 'With this decision, the City Council reaffirmed the work our city has done to become a champion of equality and inclusion. San Antonio is a city full of compassion, and we do not have room in our public facilities for a business with a legacy of anti-LGBTQ behavior.
'Everyone has a place here, and everyone should feel welcome when they walk through our airport. I look forward to the announcement of a suitable replacement by Paradies.'
Senator Ted Cruz blasted the decision by the San Antonio City Council. He claimed that fast food fans are being punished because of the company's philanthropic efforts.
'The citizens of beautiful San Antonio deserve more delicious sandwiches, and fewer rabid attacks against companies because of their charitable giving to the community. Come on,' Cruz posted on Twitter alongside an article revealing the City Council voted to pass a project as long as the chicken eatery wasn't a part of it.
