So some Chik-Fil-A executive ran their mouth a few weeks ago. You know what? It's not about that. Of course he has freedom of speech, he can say whatever he wants, and I'll go on my merry way.
But then, of course, it doesn't stop with speech. Chik-Fil-A puts their money where their mouth is. Nearly $2 million dollars worth in 2010, and the same in 2009. Funding groups like Exodus International, which up until this year tried to change people's sexual orientation from gay to straight. This is a scene from a play based on actual court records:
And then there's the Family Research Council listed on the Southern Poverty Law Center as an anti-gay organization.
You know what? I happen to like family values. I'm still on my first husband. We actually waited until marriage. We both care about raising our son well.
(You know what? That whole night of your wedding thing? I really don't recommend that. You're exhausted, you're stressed, and if you've never done it before it's pretty nerve-wracking. None of those things are conducive to a good first time. Personally, I think if a couple can find or make some relaxed time in the weeks before the wedding... or after if they REALLY insist on waiting, that's a better idea. But hey, things get better with practice.)
But then, of course, it doesn't stop with speech. Chik-Fil-A puts their money where their mouth is. Nearly $2 million dollars worth in 2010, and the same in 2009. Funding groups like Exodus International, which up until this year tried to change people's sexual orientation from gay to straight. This is a scene from a play based on actual court records:
And then there's the Family Research Council listed on the Southern Poverty Law Center as an anti-gay organization.
You know what? I happen to like family values. I'm still on my first husband. We actually waited until marriage. We both care about raising our son well.
(You know what? That whole night of your wedding thing? I really don't recommend that. You're exhausted, you're stressed, and if you've never done it before it's pretty nerve-wracking. None of those things are conducive to a good first time. Personally, I think if a couple can find or make some relaxed time in the weeks before the wedding... or after if they REALLY insist on waiting, that's a better idea. But hey, things get better with practice.)
For about a year or so, until I learned how Chik-Fil-A was using the money they earn from their customers, I actually liked the place. They were one of the few restaurants I found that CONSISTENTLY had under-3-year-old toys available. (Most other places had conveniently run out, leaving us with the choice of choke hazard or no toy.) Chik-Fil-A "toys" tended to be books, which I also value. So many kids these days grow up without books, so this is definitely a good thing. And they tend to be books that support my values. In the under-3 stage, DS got a Chik-Fil-A book showing musical instruments, we LOVE that.
But this? I don't like the way Chik-Fil-A is spending their money. I suppose, given the Citizens United ruling, that could be construed as an attempt to infringe on Chik-Fil-A's right to free speech.
But I'm not telling anyone else how to spend their money. I'm simply choosing how I spend my own. And until they can learn to live the fullness of Christ's love, I won't patronize them again.
Which is a crying shame, in my book. I estimated that about 90% of Chik-Fil-A's values are my values. It's just that this last 10% is pretty important to me. Don't like gay people? Let them live their life. Don't go threatening to deport them, jail them, etc.
Cause all those people lining up for Chik-Fil-A today? You're telling people, children and adults, not to be themselves. To hide who they are. To be afraid. And that is not okay.
The Boy Scouts of America have stated publicly since at least 2002 that gay men "lack the moral values" to be Scout leaders and blatantly refuse to hire them because of their sexual orientation.
ReplyDeleteIn the same statement, the BSA said that "duty to God is not an option... [in the BSA]... it is an obligation."
BSA Press Release
And yet in all these years the SPLC has never designated the BSA as an "anti-gay religious hate group." Why not?
Well, it seems that many of the SPLC's donors were Scouts, or the parents/grandparents of Scouts, and linking the almighty donors to a "hate group" is bad for business.
"Fighting hate" is all well and good until it cuts into the bottom line.
It's this "selective indignation" that keeps $106,000 donor-dollars a day flowing into the SPLC's coffers... or about $4,400 each and every hour.
http://wp.me/pCLYZ-d3
Some "experts"
Thank you for reading my blog and adding your comment.
ReplyDeleteI do discuss the Boy Scouts among my friends and family members. I've posted earlier that I am Unitarian Universalist, so between BSA's stance on GLBT issues and their stance on atheism, the odds of my son becoming a Boy Scout are fairly low.
Which is unfortunate. My father was a Boy Scout, my brothers were Cub Scouts, I grew up reading my brothers Boy's Life magazines. My husband was a Boy Scout.
Good grief, George Takei was a Boy Scout!
I am, unfortunately, not in a position to call out the Boy Scouts publicly right now. It's not the ideal situation, but we pick our battles and work for change where we can.