Sacramento, Calif., U.S.A. — Comments from Chick-fil-A COO Dan Cathy regarding his opinion of natural marriage as one man and one woman expressed during a syndicated radio talk show interview over two weeks ago continue to reverberate as city officials, political activists and media engage in a culture war over re-defining marriage.

Following Cathy’s comments supporting natural marriage, government officials from three cities said they would ban Chick-fil-A from opening restaurants in their municipalities. Demanding a public apology, Chicago Alderman Joe Moreno said that he would deny Chick-fil-A from opening a restaurant in Chicago’s Logan Square.

“If you are discriminating against a segment of the community, I don’t want you in the 1st Ward,” Moreno told the Tribune. Boston Mayor Thomas Menino told the Boston Herald that he would block Chick-fil-A from opening a restaurant in the “Cradle of Liberty.” Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuelfollowed suit stating, “Chick-fil-A values are not Chicago values. They disrespect our fellow neighbors and residents.” And the Mayor of the District of Columbia called it “hate chicken.”

“To deny business permits or zoning approvals to Chick-fil-A because a president of a privately owned family business expressed his Biblical view of natural marriage is outrageous,” said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel (www.LC.org) and National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference board member. “Any city trying to ban Chick-fil-A will not win this battle.”

There is absolutely no evidence that Chick-fil-A has discriminated against anyone,” Staver continued. “The intolerance displayed by these government officials ought to serve as a wakeup call to the majority of Americans who support the commonsense understanding of natural marriage. If given the chance, these intolerant officials would silence anyone who supports natural marriage. They have placed extreme ideology over freedom,” Staver concluded.

“It’s clearly unconstitutional for the city to deny permits based on a person’s opinions,” UCLA law professor Eugene Volokh said. “It opens the city up to criticism and even litigation.”

Rev. Choco DeJesus, Pastor of New Life Covenant Church in Chicago and vice president of the Social Justice Directive for the NHCLC (www.NHCLC.org), was commissioned by Chicago’s Mayor Daley in 2005 to serve on the Chicago Zoning Board of Appeals. Rev. DeJesus said, “I was not commissioned to the Zoning Board of Appeals to legislate my own belief system.

As I served on this Board for five years, I was asked to make sure all zoning requirements were met. I had an ethical obligation not to discriminate based on my Christian beliefs. During my tenor on the Board, I had to approve zoning for bars, tattoo parlors and a number of businesses that went against my Christian beliefs and values.  There was no room for discrimination against any business that met required zoning laws.”

“Chicago is a diverse city and every community within our city is different,” Rev. DeJesus continued. “I don’t know if the Mayor is in touch with all of the value systems in every community of Chicago. Chick-fil-A would bring 110 new jobs to Chicago. Additionally, Chick-fil-A does not discriminate against their employees or their clientele. As long as Chick-fil-A follows every law and passes all zoning requirements, they should be allowed to build in any city across America.”

Evangelist Billy Graham said he appreciates the Cathy family’s public support for God’s definition of marriage and that he endorses Governor Mike Huckabee’s leadership in encouraging Americans in their nationwide support Chick-fil-A on August 1.

The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, the nation’s largest Christian Hispanic organization, is the Hispanic Evangelical Association unifying, serving and representing the Hispanic Born Again Community via 40,118 member churches and 16 million constituents by reconciling the vertical and horizontal of the Christian message through the 7 Directives of Life, Family, Great Commission, Stewardship, Justice, Education and Youth.

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Los Angeles, U.S.A. — In a personal blog post published recently, Los Angeles City Controller Candidate Cary Brazeman (www.CaryBrazeman.com) weighed in on the Chick-fil-A controversy, asking a series of questions relevant to consumers, public officials and private citizens. You can read the full text of his blog post at http://blog.CaryBrazeman.com/ or here:

I’ve been asked to comment on the Chick-fil-A controversy as a prospective Los Angeles City official and someone who happens to be gay and Jewish. In advance of “National Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day” and a rumored same-sex kiss-in series of protests … here we go into the deep fat fryer!

The Chick-fil-A controversy started after published comments by the company’s CEO expressing opposition to same-sex marriage. A closer look reveals Chick-fil-A’s long history as a self-described Christian company operating on “biblical principles.”

Here are key questions it’s reasonable to ask as consumers, public officials and private citizens:

Should we be purchasing the products of a company opposed to gay marriage?

The issue of gay marriage, even “civil” marriage, is unavoidably political and religious. I have my views; you have your views. Reasonable people can disagree. Reasonable people also can disagree about whether the company’s stand on gay marriage is a sufficient reason to take your appetite somewhere else.

Should the City be permitting Chick-fil-A restaurants in Los Angeles?

I agree with New York’s Mayor Bloomberg that cities cannot, and really should not, impose political or religious litmus tests on businesses. (What a slippery slope that would be!) But all businesses, of course, are required to follow the rules of doing business in our cities in order to operate. That goes without saying.

There are additional questions I am curious about, the answers to which may affect how we answer questions #1 and #2.

Is Chick-fil-A an equal opportunity employer? Do they hire and treat respectfully openly gay people, non-Christians, and people of varying ethnicities?

Company management boasts that key executives all are married to their first wives. Does this mean the company doesn’t hire divorced people?

What about promotions? Can you rise through the ranks at Chick-fil-A if you are any of the above?

What about ownership and franchise opportunities? Are some people not eligible based on personal or religious characteristics?

I asked the company these questions.

On Saturday, I visited the two Chick-fil-A restaurants in Los Angeles: the one in Hollywood, which is a franchise, and the one downtown near USC, which is a company-owned restaurant. Managers at both locations asserted to me that Chick-fil-A is an equal opportunity employer.

Is this true? I hope so.

For more information on Cary Brazeman’s campaign for Los Angeles City Controller, please visit http://www.CaryBrazeman.com/.

Image Courtesy of   Steve Webel

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