Chick Fil-A CEO Dan Cathy is on a mission to entice younger consumers into eating their gross chicken sandwiches, and his first step seems to be a Paula Deen-eque apology tour.
During an interview with USA Today, Cathy was asked briefly about the company’s multiple instances of homophobia and vowed to leave it all behind him:
“All of us become more wise as time goes by…we sincerely care about all people. I’m going to leave it to politicians and others to discuss social issues.”
This “apology” is much less “we’re deeply sorry that we offended LGBT people” and more “I’m deeply sorry that I was stupid enough to say what I truly felt about them in the media,” and we’re just not buying.
The fact that Cathy will no longer be foolish enough to voice his opinions in public doesn’t mean that the opinions have changed or evolved even one bit, just that he got a better publicist.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Sorry, Dan. When we want a fat-laden, artery-clogging chicken sandwich that will take us multiple spin classes to work off, we’ll go with a Double Down.
Cam
Thank you for tracking this.
Also, Chick Fil Et STILL provides office space for the headquarters of an anti-gay group in their corporate headquarters. That group is funded by the outside arm of Chik Fil Et.
He is simply saying he isn’t going to TALK about it, that doesn’t mean that the private wing of his company isn’t going to continue funding anti-gay activities, anti-gay politicians etc…
tookietookie
I love their chicken too much to give it up. It is delicious.
I want more options, not less.
Zoo
“I am gay…you are tasty…that’s our problem”. Watch funny video on why boycotting Chick-Fil-A is pointless at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDurqOkv6q4
Cam
@tookietookie:
Nice try troll. As for options, lets see, Cathy and his groups money helped support the Ugandan “Kill the Gays” bill, kind of hard to have options when you’re dead.
NiceNCool1
Zoo, Pointless or not, they’re not getting one dime from me.
PARKAVMAN
Maybe he should wait and try for the next generation. Maybe they will have forgiven and forgotten, but I doubt it. Why are CEOs so stupid? They know nothing is secret anymore and the gay market is pretty strong now.
Desert Boy
@tookietookie: – I hope you choke on a sharp chicken bone. Have a nice day!
CarrieV
The boycotting was pointless, as that so-called restaurant only profited MASSIVELY from the boycott attempt.
I’m a vegetarian, I wish they’d just go away on that ground alone.
Hermes
My understanding to the contrary Carrie is that in fact they did NOT profit from the boycott – but in fact that they were retreating within a month because their bottom line started dropping. A one day eating frenzy never makes up for long time customers withdrawing from a product.
jckfmsincty
Eat More Beef
Cam
@CarrieV:
Why do people keep coming in here and lying? Chick Fil Et had one day of high profits. They lost more than one store, and the last report had their profits slightly down which is why the owner is going out on his not an apology tour.
Again, their bottom line suffered otherwise that bigot would NEVER be going on air saying he’s going to keep his mouth shut.
tookietookie
Ah, some hypocritical little fascists on here today…
BJ McFrisky
@Hermes:
@Cam:
Chick-fil-A has surpassed KFC as the country’s #1 chicken restaurant. If that’s your definition of “failure,” well . . . you likely also believe Obama has been a “success” of a president.
Cam
@BJ McFrisky:
BJ, KFC was bought out by Pepsi and has stopped opening stores agressively.
BUT, lets look at how you QUALIFY your comment.
You didn’t dispute that their profits were down, you didn’t dispute that the one day surge didn’t continue, you use a completely not quantifiable comment. I could just as easily say “Wow, Chik Fil Et makes more money than A&W Root Beer!”
So what, you don’t know what that means monetarily. But once again, BJ can’t wait to come on and defend anything right wing and bigoted.
Thank you for always being so predictable BJ.
Cam
@tookietookie:
Awww, somebody disagreed with you so you lash out and name call because you can’t dispute what they said. you angry right wingers are so funny when you’re mad.
Cam
Oh and BJ, if you’re going to create another fake screename (Tookie Tookie) try to leave more time in between your comments that agree with each other so it isn’t so obvious.
only 3 minutes? Really? It’s so obvious, come on BJ, you’re a better liar than THAT! I have faith in you that you will do better next time.
Throbert McGee
@Cam: As for options, lets see, Cathy and his groups money helped support the Ugandan “Kill the Gays” bill, kind of hard to have options when you’re dead.
Snopes.com has a long and detailed article on the Chick-Fil-A controversy. Cam might want to read this paragraph:
To me, this seems like rather flimsy justification for Cam’s claim that “Dan Cathy’s money helped support the Ugandan ‘Kill the Gays’ bill.” But that’s just my opinion, and others might see things differently.
P.S. It is also JUST MY OPINION that Chick-Fil-A’s sandwiches and “chicken strips” are really delicious, but I’m kinda meh towards the waffle fries — I prefer the taste and texture of darker-fried “boardwalk style” fries, with just salt and malt vinegar. When I get Chick-Fil-A with my nephew, I tend to be generous with buffalo sauce or sriracha on both the waffle fries and the sammich.
tjr101
Yes, we can always count on Blow Job McFrisky to defend anything right-wing after all we know the right-wing will defend his gay self in a heart beat. Oh and there’s that cheap Obama dig.
Throbert McGee
@CarrieV: The boycotting was pointless, as that so-called restaurant only profited MASSIVELY from the boycott attempt.
I’m a vegetarian, I wish they’d just go away on that ground alone.
I enjoy meat of all kinds, and I wish that the goddess Isis, or possibly some super-advanced extra-terrestrials, would appear with a box containing some kind of golden headband that lights up when I put it on, giving me the startling powers of telekinesis!
It’d be so cool to move things around with my mind, like Carrie, or whats-her-name from The X-Men. (And I would only use my telekinetic abilities for good, not evil.)
BJ McFrisky
@Cam: Your paranoia is not only showing, it’s palatable. You think Obama is your sweetheart and Hillary is your general, even though both made statements against gay marriage, so your loyalties are as questionable as your fears that anyone who disagrees with you must be the same person (but I do appreciate you thinking me smart enough to figure out how to leave comments under different names—in lightning time, at that; however, even someone of your minimal brain wattage should know I’d be more original in choosing a second screen name than the likes of “tookie-tookie”).
BJ McFrisky
@tjr101: Cheap?!? That Obama dig was priceless!
tookietookie
I will not be finger-wagged by either side about this just cause some bitches ain’t getting some from their man.
@Throbert McGee: Her name is Jean Grey!
Captain Obvious
Aren’t there more important things we could be focusing on?
You want to know the big secret ingredient to Chic Fillet sandwiches? Pickle juice. Poor some on your own homemade chicken sandwich and enjoy. Now you don’t need to waste time concerning yourself with that ridiculous restaurant at all.
It makes us sound ridiculous whining about a chicken joint as if they’re somehow holding us back from living our lives. Straight people, even “allies” have been making fun of this, and the complaints about Target.
Learn to pick your battles. This is not one of them.
Chic Fillet gained more free advertising from this nonsense than they ever would’ve been able to afford to pay for. Stop talking about them, stop putting their name out there, you’ve only given them more customers not less.
If you really want to get at them that bad then tell the world that their big huge secret is pickle juice. Make Youtube videos showing people how to make their own amazing Chic Fillet sandwiches at home.
Think outside of the box and stop advertising the place for free while complaining about them using their profits to support homophobic campaigns.
Captain Obvious
@Throbert McGee: I would literally only use an ability like that for hands free self pleasure. Yep, I have big dreams.
Cam
@Throbert McGee:
You’re a liar, but nice try. I stated clearly that Chick Fil Ets money went to support the Ugandan Kill the Gays bill.
You tried to lie and claim that I said Chick Fil Let Lobbied Congress not to condem that bill.
Funny, I never said a word about that. Chik Fil Ets money went directly to groups supporting that Ugandan death law.
You couldn’t dispute that, you you pretended I said something else so you could then answer that. In Jr. High debate class you would have learned that that is called a Straw Man argument. Sorry you didn’t make it that far in school.
Cam
@BJ McFrisky: said…
“@Cam: Your paranoia is not only showing, it’s palatable. You think Obama is your sweetheart and Hillary is your general, even though both made statements against gay marriage, so your loyalties are as questionable as your fears that anyone who disagrees with you must be the same person
______________________________
Gee BJ, My comment actually said that you were trying to deflect by only talking about Chick Fil Et and Kentucky Friend chicken rather than the fact that their bottom line had suffered.
I also pointed out that if Chik Fil Et was doing better then why was their owner out on his non apology apology tour?
I then pointed out that if there was a right wing anti-gay bigot or business that you were the first to defend them.
And if you look at what you did, you responded with some weirdly deranged ramble about Obama and Hillary. It’s a shame that your love of bigotry and support of the right wing is so deep that you can’t even read what somebody writes and respond to that.
But again, if it’s right wing and anti-gay you’ll defend them, thanks for being reliable.
Tackle
I’m all for forgiving people, (if one is sincere)
and do believe and understand that we all can grow and mature. But this is the most insincere, lame, bullsh!t apology that I have heard in a while. He says if he offended LGBT, then he’s truly sorry. No “if” about it. He did offend. And if LGBT were not offended, by his b!goted words, then he would not be sorry? And he’s sorry, and only sorry for saying what he said im the MEDIA. So as long as he expresses his true b!goted beliefs, thought and opinions about LGBT people in private, he’s not at all sorry. And some gays just don’t give a damn, and still want to eat there. Where’s the loyalty??
DarkZephyr
@Zoo: Doesn’t seem so pointless to me at all or there wouldn’t have been material for this article posted by Queerty. Dan Cathy wouldn’t be doing this tour if it were so pointless. At any rate, Dan Cathy likely sees the writing on the wall. Its becoming less and less popular to vilify LGBT people (sorry BJ) and right now Chick-fil-et’s name is synonymous with homophobia in the public eye (that’s not good for business, ask Sweet Cakes by Melissa, Barilla’s Pasta and Mozilla). This will only become more and more problematic for Cathy’s bottom line in the end. He knows this.
Throbert McGee
Seriously? That sounds like it might work. Unfortunately, there’s still no easy way to duplicate the deep-fried batter coating at home. (Usually, I make “oven-fried” chicken by searing it first in a skillet, coating with egg and bread crumbs, then baking. It’s good, but not the same as you get from one of those temperature-controlled deep fryers at restaurants.)
Throbert McGee
Assuming that’s true, it became “synonymous with homophobia” because a lot of LGBT email-forwarders were willing to happy to jump on the bandwagon and vilify Chik-Fil-A with ludicrously inflated “help-help-the-sky-is-falling” claims about the actual degree of practical harm done to real-life LGBT people by Dan Cathy’s contributions to various campaigns against same-sex marriage.
And as Cam demonstrated above, there often is, also, a lot of “the friend of a friend of a friend of an enemy of LGBT people is my enemy, too” reasoning at work. Or, more briefly, merely consorting with homophobes is as bad as being a homophobe.
Ah, yes — a little mom-and-pop bakery that was accused of illegal discrimination and assailed as homophobic because the owners weren’t interested in producing custom-ordered cakes for same-sex weddings. Not one of our community’s prouder moments.
DickieJohnson
Gaaaag me! I didnt eat their “product” before all this happened, and certainly will not now. In fact, it’s hard for me to believe any queen would eat it. And, here’s something else, LOTS of Str8 folks are “homophobic” because the believe ALL gays are whiney b*tches. I wonder why???
WhyteRabbit
@Zoo: you do realize that his current attempt to make us for get about the homophobic crap illustrates clearly that the boycott is effective, right? silly troll.
WhyteRabbit
@Throbert McGee: http://amzn.com/B000HEBAV2
DarkZephyr
@Throbert McGee: “Our” community? OK BJ McFrisky.
Cam
@Throbert McGee:
So now you have lied to defend Chick Fil Et, AND now you are defending the anti-gay bakery claiming they were victims.
Look, we get it, you’re a right wing troll and you will willingly lie and say whatever possible to defend anything bigoted.
The sad part is, every single person on this blog knows that chick fil et money went to the FRC and other organizations supporting the kill the gays bill, you tried to lie and deflect to another subject earlier and I called you on it, so you change your story.
Not only are you obvious, it’s also obvious that you are a sock puppet for BJ.
mogster11
@Cam
You have identified him as a troll. We all know he’s a troll. You’re letting him get to you. Don’t feed the trolls 🙂
stanhope
@Desert Boy: their chicken is boneless..somebody order me a large sweet tea
stanhope
@tookietookie: The chick fil A here in Chicago at Loyola has a boatload of gay employees some even hot in those black pants…..the franchise owner came out early and strong against the remarks of Dan Cathay. Are we to put them out of business? The restaurants are spotless, the service good, they have activities for seniors [you can’t get near the place on bingo mornings] and they are closed on Sundays which I think it good for employees. How about you boycott the gay bars that ask people of color for multiple IDs. Until then, another free refill of lemonade.
Merv
The “We hate gays” cow pic is hilarious.
Desert Boy
@stanhope: – I wouldn’t know. Never eaten at Chick-Fil-A so I’ll take your word for it.
Cam
@stanhope:
And the money you stand there goes into the corporate coffers which are then still being funneled into political donations and issue donations designed to harm you and those gay employees.
BJ McFrisky
@Cam: Stanhope doesn’t “stand” money at Chick-fil-A, he SPENDS money there.
The intellectual leviathan Cam strikes again (perhaps you should take a moment to read your comments prior to posting them—they might just come across as less rambling).
Cam
@BJ McFrisky:
How funny, you couldn’t dispute my comment so in a desperate attempt to deflect you feign outrage because of a spelling error.
Faking outrage to distract attention from the real issue, that’s pretty much what the anti-gay right wing bigots you’re always defending always do isn’t it?
And by the way, it’s so nice to see you and all your fake screenames defending each other. It warms the heart.
mikestrawn
I do not believe that BJ McFrisky or Throbert McGee are right wing gays because I don’t think they are gay at all and I think they are the same person since the construction of their screen names is the same. You’ll notice that both names (I’ve pointed this out before about BJ) are a type of Irish-American slang–either name, BJ McFrisky or Throbert McGee could be used as a derogatory reference to a gay men. This use of the preface Mc as a means of ridicule is even seen in pop culture as on the Simpson’s where a drunk is used as a trademark for a chain of bars with the name Tispy McStaggers. My partner’s sister who is pure Irish will refer to a woman as “Trampy McWhore” or “Cheapy McTramp”–see what I mean. Oh, by the way, I would rather starve than eat Cathey’s chicken.
BJ McFrisky
@mikestrawn: FYI, Einstein, “BJ McFrisky’s” is what friends and I used to jokingly call our hangout, the D.C. Eagle, back in the 90s. So yes, I’m a gay man. I’m also Irish (and Italian and Scottish, to boot), but I have no idea what a “Throbert” is, other than the possibility that it’s a throbbing Robert.
So much for your theories on my identity and derogatory references. Better luck next time.
Cam
@BJ McFrisky:
BJ, while you defended your name, you forgot to add in any defense of why you always automatically defend any anti-gay bigots on here.
Guess that part slipped your mind, you were probably busy filling out your donation slip to NOM.
Polaro
This is a positive step, but not enough to get me to eat there again. I do so love their sandwiches, but I’d rather go hungry than eat an asshole’s fast food.
BJ McFrisky
@Cam: You keep asking the same question and I keep giving you the same answer: Being for “traditional” (hetero) marriage does not an anti-gay bigot make.
Cam
@BJ McFrisky:
Actually being opposed to equal rights for gays is the very definition of an anti-gay bigot.
And your instinct is to immediately jump to their defense, AND you immediately defend anybody in the GOP.
Funny how those two things tie together in your mind isn’t it?
BJ McFrisky
@Cam: Stating that I “defend anybody in the GOP” shows how little you’ve gleaned from our acquaintance. Being that I feel political parties should be abolished altogether, it should be obvious I neither support nor defend the GOP or the DNC.
But, since you obviously believe you’ve got me completely figured out—down to what my instincts are (which is just creepy)—there’s no point in me clarifying. Like a good liberal, you’ll believe whatever suits your agenda. That much I’VE gleaned from our acquaintance.
ps – Marriage is not a right; hence, opposing gay marriage is not an equal-rights issue, it’s an opinion.
Cam
@BJ McFrisky: said…”ps – Marriage is not a right; hence, opposing gay marriage is not an equal-rights issue, it’s an opinion.”
_____________________
This is what I love about you right wing bigot defenders BJ, you LOVE to claim that you are real Americans, and yet, you lie, and are ignorant about everything our country was built upon. You just said “Marriage is not a right”
Let me just paste the words of our U.S. Supreme Court from it’s decision in Loving V. Virginia
“Marriage is one of the “basic civil rights of man,”
So let’s see, you’re a bigot defender, and you have no understanding of the basic rights of the country you live in.
BJ McFrisky
@Cam: Then why is it not covered under the Civil Rights Act?
Cam
@BJ McFrisky:
Wow, you really know nothing about our nation do you?
You do realize a decision by the Supreme Court is binding on our govt. don’t you? And in fact, the Supreme Court can strike down an act of Congress, (Such as the Civil Rights Act) if they find it unconstitutional.
So the right to marriage was enshrined by the court and you actually understand so little about this country and the way it works that you think that doesn’t count? LOL!!!!!!!
How sad for you!!! You are either so incredibly ignorant of the United States and civics that it is embarrassing for you, or you are so desperately bigoted and self hating that you are frantically trying to continue supporting this pathetic lie.
Either way, you’ve gone beyond being funny to being just embarrassingly sad.
BJ McFrisky
@Cam: Yaaaaaaawn.
Like I said: Creepy.
Cam
@BJ McFrisky:
And once again BJ continues his unbroken streak of never being able to respond to a post that proves his comments are false.
Thank you for your winning streak and we have some lovely parting gifts for you.