In yet another instance of an institution refusing Chick-fil-A due to the Christian views of the company’s founding family, a high school in New Orleans declined a free catered lunch from the fast-food restaurant due to opposition to the company’s alleged anti-LGBTQ stances.
“On Oct. 10, Steven Corbett, principal of Lusher High School, said that he had recently declined a free lunch from the chicken-centric chain for his employees, provided through the College Football Playoff Foundation (CFPF), explaining that the restaurant’s values do not align with those of the school,” reports Fox News.
In a statement to WWL-TV, Corbett said the school would be offending its LGBT employees and students if it permitted Chick-fil-A on campus.
“Out of respect to our LGBTQ staff, we have chosen to not serve Chick-fil-A at an employee lunch. The number one rule at Lusher is to ‘be kind’ and we live this motto every day,” Corbett said. “Chick-fil-A has been politically outspoken about its views, and we feel it is not part of Lusher’s culture of kindness and community. Anytime an organization is anti-LGBTQ, and has efforts to infringe upon their rights, we thought it was important to support and stand up for their community at this time.”
A spokesperson for CFPF said that the organization respects Lusher’s decision and announced that lunch from another restaurant would be served instead.
“[We are just] glad teachers will have a good lunch tomorrow,” spokesperson Tony Fay said.
A spokesperson for Chick-fil-A told Fox News that the business has no political or social agenda when it comes to serving food.
“We are a restaurant company focused on food and hospitality and have no political or social agenda. Our priority is on providing a welcoming and respectful environment for our guests and team members,” the spokesperson said.
The hate toward the chicken sandwich empire began in 2012, when company president Dan Cathy expressed support for traditional one-man/one-woman marriage, prompting boycotts across the country from LGBTQ activists.
“I think we are 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,'” Cathy said at the time. “I pray God’s mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we have the audacity to define what marriage is about.”
Just last year, two major publications wrote scathing articles begging people to boycott the business: The New Yorker and HuffPost. “If You Really Love LGBTQ People, You Just Can’t Keep Eating Chick-fil-A,” wrote Noah Michelson of HuffPost. When Chick-fil-A wanted to set up shop in New York City, Dan Piepenring of The New Yorker called it a “creepy infiltration” of the city.
Despite the efforts to harm the business, with college campuses and two city airports banning the chain from opening up shop, the chicken empire’s sales continue to climb and have only doubled since the boycotts launched in 2012.
“Chick-fil-A’s annual sales have more than doubled since LGBT and liberal groups began calling for a boycott of the restaurant in 2012, according to a new analysis,” reported Christian Headlines last month. “In 2012, when controversy arose over the CEO’s comments about same-sex marriage, sales totaled $4.6 billion, up from $4.1 billion the year before. In 2018, sales totaled $10.46 billion, making it the third-largest restaurant in the United States behind McDonald’s and Starbucks.”