Gregory E. Miller
May 7, 2014
Harlem-based drag queen Peppermint, outside a New Jersey Chick-fil-A, isn’t letting protests about the chain’s anti-gay reputation stop her from enjoying a chicken sandwich.Photo: Christian Johnston
Like many people, Josh Hune loves the succulent taste of Chick-fil-A menu item No. 1, the classic chicken sandwich. Like far fewer fans, Hune also happens to be gay.
That made it a bit complicated when the fried-chicken chain’s president, Dan Cathy, admitted he was “guilty as charged” for vehemently opposing same-sex marriage and overseeing the donation of millions of dollars to anti-gay causes in June 2012. When Cathy’s comments sparked a media firestorm, Hune resisted his favorite sammie for a few days before giving in and devouring one at the Chick-fil-A outlet at NYU, where he was a student.
Josh Hune was ostracized by a fellow gay man for not boycotting Chick-fil-A, which offers a taste of home.Photo: Tamara Beckwith
The move infuriated one of his friends, who was leading a petition to have the chain removed from the dining hall.
“He told me I was the worst gay in NYC,” says Hune, 23. “But I personally don’t think my money or my going there is me saying I hate gays as well. I don’t think about it like that $7 is going to some foundation to stop gay marriage. For me, it’s just food.”
It’s a dirty little secret that in New York, Hune is far from alone. For many members of the LGBT community, the first time they came out, it was to tell the world they were gay. The second time, it was to tell the world they love Chick-fil-A.
And now that the Georgia-based chain is entering the NYC market in a big way, gay Chick-fil-A fanatics are facing a serious dilemma.
The company announced last month that for the first time it will expand into the city with stand-alone locations. By the end of 2014, the country will have 108 new Chick-fil-A locations, “a good chunk of them” in New York City, according to a report in USA Today.
Chick-fil-A has always displayed its Christian roots with pride, closing its doors every Sunday in observance of the biblical day of rest. But Cathy’s comments — “I pray God’s mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we have the audacity to define what marriage is about,” among them — brought intense scrutiny to the firm’s history of supporting and donating millions to anti-gay groups, including the Family Research Council and the now-defunct Exodus International, which supported conversion therapy.
But despite the company’s controversial beliefs, some gay New Yorkers are salivating over the chance to get their hands on that iconic chicken sandwich — a savory, juicy fillet with crisp dill pickles on a buttered bun.
The most common reason for their unwavering devotion? They grew up with it.
Protests took place throughout the country when Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy admitted to opposing same-sex marriage.Photo: David Livingston/Getty Images
Hune, now a bartender living in Hell’s Kitchen, is from Texas. He calls the chicken sandwich “the Cadillac of chicken” and says it provided solace away from home while he attended school.
“If I was having a rough day, it would calm me down,” he says. “It’s comfort food.”
Still, being gay and admitting to patronizing Chick-fil-A is like working at Vogue and wearing Crocs.
“I have a healthy fear of the gay mafia,” says William, a gay 26-year-old digital strategist living in Hell’s Kitchen who asked that his last name not be used due to anxiety over backlash to his choice. “But the crispy chicken is orgasmic. This sounds terrible because it’s fast food, but it’s the most tender chicken I’ve ever had.”
For David Lopez, a 47-year-old hospitality consultant who identifies as gay, it’s all about the health factor compared to other fast-food options: “I was aware [of the history], but I definitely wanted to try it because I heard that [they used] fresh ingredients,” says the Bronx resident. “I’m not overly political.”
After pro-gay picketers descended upon locations nationwide — as well as anti-gay supporters — the chicken company stated it will no longer discuss social issues. “We sincerely care about all people,” Cathy said last month.
For Peppermint, a Harlem-based drag queen and singer-songwriter, that’s good enough.
“He apologized for injecting that into the business,” she says. “I support that. I’m a firm believer that you should be able to believe what you want, as long as it doesn’t infringe on my quality of life or stop me from doing what I want to do or getting food from the Chick-fil-A.
“I want to live in a place where people can think differently,” she adds. “That’s what humans do.”
Bushwick resident Robert Brigman, a 26-year-old concierge, fell for the food growing up in Tennessee and echoes Peppermint’s sentiment. The Republican-leaning gay man doesn’t think a business deserves to be boycotted over one man’s viewpoint.
“I could care less about Chick-fil-A making a stance,” he says. “They are allowed to have that opinion, and I’m allowed to have mine.”
For many members of the community, though, that’s not enough.
The company’s donations appear to have continued, though gifts to more radical groups have been dropped, according to a report in the Advocate. For others, simply knowing where the president stands is reason enough to not patronize the chain.
Scott Baker, a gay 53-year-old ex-dancer in Brooklyn Heights, is among those boycotting the brand.
“They’re angry Christians selling chicken,” he says. “They say that they practice the Bible, but my God is loving and understanding.
“I used to crave it,” he adds. “But when they come to New York, I don’t believe I’ll eat there.”
William points out that the LGBT community can be rife with hypocrisy. Many bandwagoners on the Anti-Chick-fil-A Express gleefully shop at companies that have conservative execs at the helm — they just haven’t gotten the media coverage (or been stupid enough to tweet their political beliefs). Known past offenders who have suffered far less outrage include Urban Outfitters, Papa John’s Pizza, Exxon, the Salvation Army, Purina and Cracker Barrel.
“It would shock you,” says William. “You wouldn’t be able to step out of your house if you boycotted them all.”
The result is that some gay men feel ostracized by their own community, unable to express opinions different from the GLAAD-approved agenda.
“I think as a culture, we preach utter acceptance,” says William. “But as a community, we’re not always accepting — we can very much be a–holes about stuff.”
But whether you buy that chicken sandwich or not, change is on the way, argues Peppermint.
“For people on the wrong side of the issue, marriage equality is becoming a moot point. It’s inevitable. It’s happening,” she says. “Whether you support it or not, everyone who’s married and gay is going to be coming into your restaurant, and you’re going to have to live with it.”
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Irrationally rationalizing supporting this company is the ultimate expression of internalized homophobia. The most idiotic comment from one the gay turncoats was this one:
“But I personally don’t think my money or my going there is me saying I hate gays as well. I don’t think about it like that $7 is going to some foundation to stop gay marriage. For me, it’s just food.”
Ah, but it is just like saying you hate gays as well. The problem you see is that it's not just food, and a portion of the profits from that sale are going to benefit those who actively and openly strive to deny GLBT people equality and freedom. It's just not a rational argument to say it's just food, no matter how good the chicken might taste. Chick-fil-a is tainted with hate and no gay person or ally should support them.
"Fear Eats the Soul"
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