In The Powder Room

Jul 26

Boston mayor responds to Chick-Fil-A

Comments (4) by Lerner July 26, 2012 - 6:00 PM

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The shitstorm that Dan Cathy, President of Chik-Fil-A, ignited last week by expressing an anti-gay position-both personally as well as funding with corporate donations-has put that nasty tornado at the end of the movie Twister to shame. But that's old news, right?

I don't get joy out of hate mongering on any level, so I'm not here to fling feaces in the face of a bigot. My favorite civil development to come from this whole debacle has to be the response of Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, who in a letter wrote:

In recent days you said Chick-fil-A opposes same-sex marriage and said the generation that supports it has an 'arrogant attitude.'

Now -- incredibly -- your company says you are backing out of the same-sex marriage debate. I urge you to back out of your plans to locate in Boston.

It continues:

You called supporters of gay marriage 'prideful.' Here in Boston, to borrow your own words, we are 'guilty as charged.' We are indeed full of pride for our support of same-sex marriage and our work to expand freedom to all people. We are proud that our state and our city have led the way for the country on equal marriage rights...

There is no place for discrimination on Boston's Freedom Trail and no place for your company alongside it.

Seeing so many people come out to unite in disgust at such a blatant display of hatred and bigotry, that's awesome. But for our lawmakers, our public leaders, to put it in writing and publish it for the whole world to see? That's what it's all about, folks.

Elected leaders protecting the rights of their constituents, standing up and saying right is right and I've been elected to do just that... maybe there's hope for us yet. The tide is turning, and I'm so glad to watch the cresting waves in its wake.

I am genuinely beginning to believe that my children will grow up in a country with equal marriage rights; that by the time they are old enough to consider marriage, they might actually be able to marry whomever they'd like... in any state. With leaders like this, days like this, I have to hope that nationwide marriage equality is closer than any of us had ever imagined.

by Lerner July 26, 2012 - 6:00 PM

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  Report Tue Jul 31, 2012 - 9:26 pm

  by  JohnoMori

  Cathy is entitled to his positions and Menino entitled to speak his mind. Democracy in action. Brilliant. I think you are right; it is always slow moving but people's civil rights usually win out.

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  Report Fri Jul 27, 2012 - 3:13 pm

  by  Matt

  I don't agree with Cathy's views on marriage, but frankly I also don't agree with what the Boston (and Chicago) mayor wants to do. I'm bothered by what amounts to using the force of government to punish a company for the private views (protected speech) of its CEO.

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  Report Fri Jul 27, 2012 - 12:46 am

  by  lhewitt

  I hope so too.

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• 1 reply, Last reply by Lerner on Fri Jul 27, 2012 at 12:54 am
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  Report Fri Jul 27, 2012 - 12:54 am

  by  Lerner

  @lhewitt: At this point, hope is an understatement of epic proportions for me. I ache, at a deep soul level, for the day that my kids can look around and know that love is love, equal, no matter what.

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