Chick-fil-A announced last week that the company’s philanthropy arm, WinShape, would cease grants to external organizations. The move comes after the student government at Northeastern University voted against partnering with the fast food chain in its student center because of allegations that the company had donated money to anti-gay causes.
While the company is clear about its Christian and family values, the claim that Chick-Fil-A is anti-gay is untrue, according to Jerry Johnston, corporate public relations senior manager of the company. Johnston could not say whether WinShape funding had previously contributed to anti-gay causes or organizations dedicated to maintaining marriage as solely between a man and a woman, but the intent behind all funding was “surely from a family-support standpoint,” he said.
In the future, WinShape will choose to not donate to outside foundations to prevent misconceptions, Johnston said.
Although gay-rights organizations and student groups at some colleges with Chick-fil-A restaurants have continued to call for boycotts of the company, no strong opposition has arisen at Elon University. Chick-fil-A remains the most popular on-campus dining venue for students, according to Vickie Somers, director of auxiliary services.
Laurin Kier, associate director of tutorial services and assistant professor of sociology at Elon, said she rarely eats fast food, but she tends to avoid the company for its political leanings on gay rights.
“Because there’s so much choice out there, if someone feels strongly about an issue, and because money is so important in this society, I think that not spending your money in a certain place can be very powerful,” Kier said.
In a statement released after Northeastern's decision, Johnston said Chik-fil-A does not represent any political agenda.
Kier also said she would like to see Elon give thought to companies’ allegiances to determine whether they are in line with the university’s values and goals. Nevertheless, such partnerships are currently evaluated based on goods and services offered, according to Somers.
“We choose our vendors not based on political or social views, but based on the service they render, the pricing and the popularity,” Somers said.
Sophomore Kyla Sokoll-Ward said she is a vegetarian and does not eat at Chick-fil-A, but she’s not sure a company’s alleged stance on gay rights would influence her eating habits.
“I would definitely support someone if they decided to stop eating Chick-fil-A because of (the controversy),” she said. “I think it would be a good move, but I can understand if someone thought that it wasn’t a big enough reason to stop eating the food.”