Which universities and schools have banned Chick-fil-A?
Chick-fil-A in Virginia. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Many schools and universities have banned Chick-fil-A due to their LGBT+ stance. We’ve put together a timeline of the institutions that have removed or barred the fast-food chain from their campuses.
The restaurant company, which has approximately 2,000 branches in the US, often makes headlines due to its anti-LGBT point of view and support of “biblical families.”
Since their stance on same-sex marriage became known in 2012, universities and schools have ensured that they made their disapproval known by boycotting the company.
2012: Elon University votes Chick-fil-A off campus
Elon University was among the first to ban the restaurant chain. In October 2012, the fast-food chain was voted off the campus in North Carolina because of the company’s public opposition to equal marriage.
2013: Emory University removes branch from college site
In March 2013, Emory University, in Atlanta, Georgia, announced its decision to remove its Chick-fil-A branch from campus due to lack of student support.
UPDATE: Chick-fil-a to be removed from Cox Hall this Summer as part of FACE’s new Cox Hall layout.
— The Emory Wheel (@emorywheel) March 8, 2013
The institute’s newspaper, the Emory Wheel, tweeted the news that Chick-fil-A was to be removed from the food hall’s new layout, which was being designed.
2014: High school bans restaurant from fundraiser
In 2014, a Californian high school banned Chick-fil-A from being served at their fundraiser. Ventura High School’s Principal Val Wyatt made the ban over fears that serving the anti-LGBT company’s chicken could alienate LGBT+ students and parents.
2015: University in Maryland blocks Chick-fil-A
John’s Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, voted against allowing a Chick-fil-A on campus in 2015. Their Student Government Association (SGA) chose not to “support the proposal of a Chick-fil-A, in a current or future sense, particularly on any location that is central to student life.”
They explained that “Chick-Fil-A’s former CEO Dan Cathy has publicly stated divisive statements against the LGBTQ+ community,” and that Cathy was “disappointed after the supreme court’s decision on same sex marriage.”
2017: Duquesne University blocks chain over ‘questionable history’ on human rights
In 2017, students protested against allowing a Chick-fil-A on campus at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh after a deal had closed. Student senator Niko Martini explained: “Chick-fil-A has a questionable history on civil rights and human rights.”
2018: Rider University bans Chick-fil-A and dean resigns
In late 2018, Rider University, in New Jersey, joined the institutions to ban having a Chick-fil-A on campus due to its LGBT+ background and track record.
The university’s dean, Cynthia Newman, resigned over the student vote to exclude the chain.
Newman said: “I felt like I had been punched in the stomach when I read that statement [about the ban] because I am a very committed Christian.”
