Nearly 14,000 people have signed a petition to keep the UK’s first Chick-fil-A open
Chick-fil-A has donated millions of dollars to anti-gay causes. (Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)
An ultraconservative Christian lobby group have launched a petition demanding that the UK’s first Chick-fil-A stay open and nearly 14,000 people have signed it.
For people in Reading looking for a quick bite and to support a corporation that donates to anti-LGBT+ organisations, the chicken-shop chain offers just that after it opened last month.
But its opening prompted protests and petitions from LGBT+ activists, leading to its lease not being renewed beyond six months.
Christian petition: ‘Chick Fil-A are doing nothing illegal or immoral.’
In response, CitizenGO, a Spanish religious advocacy group, launched the petition last week on October 22.
Described as a “community of active citizens”, the group have have introduced petitions such as “Keep trans lobby group Mermaids out of primary schools” (signed by nearly 42,000 people) and ‘Stop LGBT indoctrination in Disneyland’, signed by nearly 400,000 people.
The petition reads that the imminent closure of the Baptist-owned Chick-fil-A is “an attack on religious freedom”.
Chick-fil-As in the US has been a site of protest for many LGBT+ people. (Tibrina Hobson/FilmMagic)
It continued: “Chick Fil-A are doing nothing illegal or immoral.
“We should not allow the aggressive LGBT lobby to prevent a company from being able to run a business simply because they are Christian.”
Moreover, the petitioners asserted that Chick-fil-A’s owners “do not support same-sex marriage and […] refuse to donate to pro-LGBT causes, instead choosing organisations which promote Christian sexual ethics and values”.
Such organisations have in the past included charities that openly advocate against marriage equality and ministries that require staff to accept “sexual purity” policing.
One down, one to go: A second branch has opened in the UK.
Conversely, after it broke that a second branch had opened in the UK – in the Scottish Highlands – activists have already began preparations to counter it.
One LGBT+ campaigner launched a petition calling for the Chick-fil-A to close its doors yesterday. It has tallied nearly 700 signatures in just over 24 hours.
Meanwhile, grassroots organisations have urged the LGBT+ community to boycott the brand as well as writing to local lawmakers to intervene.
Here's our thoughts on #ChickfilA 'very quietly' opening up at @MacAviemore 3 weeks ago ??#HighlandPride #LGBTQ #CluckOffChickfilA #Highlands #Aviemore pic.twitter.com/vXICJTBz8W
— Highland LGBT Forum (@highlgbtforum) October 28, 2019
The branch, quietly tucked inside the Macdonald Aviemore Resort, has proved “very popular” according to a hotel spokesperson.
“It’s vital to underline that, in both our recruitment and our customer care, we treat everyone with respect, regardless of race, religion, sexuality or gender,” the spokesperson told PinkNews.
