“There is no actionable cause to remove Chick-fil-A from campus.” As an openly lesbian student who has spent the last year dealing with the issue of removing Chick-fil-A, this statement is a kick in the face. To me, this says we have reviewed all of the facts, analyzed the policies and found no valid reason to remove this fast food establishment. This says your feelings, identity and comfort on this campus are not enough of an “actionable cause.” Because of the visible stand Chick-fil-A has made about its opinions of the LGBTQ community through financial donations and other statements, they have become a global symbol of anti-LGBTQ sentiment and discrimination. Chick-fil-A means different things to everyone in the LGBTQ community, but I’d wager almost all of them are negative. For me, Chick-fil-A is a symbol of the conversion therapy and rejection I was subjected to as a teenager.
Most LGBTQ people have stories of estranged family members, lost friendships, judgment, abandonment and, in some cases, violence perpetrated against us as a result of our sexuality. Unlike our straight peers, we don’t have the privilege of our sexual identity being seen as the norm. We know for the rest of our lives we will be expected to come out to family members, friends, co-workers and even acquaintances. Coming out can be especially traumatic if it occurs in an unsupportive environment — for example, if it occurs at an institution with a campus climate that is hostile toward LGBTQ students, as Elon University has more evidently become in the past months of the Chick-fil-A controversy.
The Board of Trustees has said they “desire that Elon be a safe and respectful environment for every member of the community.” Yet, through this deliberate action of choosing to keep Chick-fil-A, they are sending a message. While the LGBTQ community has a room on campus and a full-time staff member, we aren’t fully accepted and protected at Elon. [quote] Chick-fil-A is still more important than we are. The Board has created an environment saying a chicken sandwich is more valuable than the rights and feelings of LGBTQ students, faculty and allies on this campus.[/quote] Their statement says on an even more structural level that we are lesser than our heterosexual peers, for whom there is no blatant symbol of discrimination on campus — even our LGBTQ office welcomes them.
This action will have many implications. Despite Chick-fil-A being moved to a slightly less visible location, its existence on campus will deter LGBTQ students from attending Elon. The mere symbolic presence of Chick-fil-A on campus can make LGBTQ students feel intimidated, uncomfortable and unwelcome. So long as Chick-fil-A remains here, many members of the Elon community will feel they cannot express their true and authentic selves with dignity and safety.
Everyone knows the emphasis and value Elon places upon diversity. I wholeheartedly agree with this need for a more varied student body. We learn and grow by discovering each other’s differences and experiences.
Without students who have unique experiences and varying sexual and gender identities, Elon won’t be able to produce students who are fully inclusive and globally engaged because of that missing perspective. Our straight peers will never know what it’s like to feel targeted and devalued by an organization’s presence on campus. We don’t have the privilege of simply “getting over it” as many have suggested we do, because for us, Chick-fil-A’s presence on campus will always be a deeply hurtful symbol of anti-LGBTQ sentiment.