New Orleans principal refuses free Chick-fil-A to support LGBTQ staff and students
He said the fast food chain's anti-LGBTQ values don't reflect those of the school
A high school principal in New Orleans has refused free meals from Chick-fil-A in a show of support for his LGBTQ staff and students.
Dr. Steven Corbett, principal of Lusher High School, turned down an offer to give free Chick-fil-A to staff as part of “teacher appreciation day.”
He said that the fast food chain’s anti-LGBTQ values don’t reflect those of the school, according to WWL-TV.
“Out of respect to our LGBTQ staff, we have chosen to not serve Chick-fil-A at an employee lunch,” Corbett said. “The #1 rule at Lusher is to ‘Be Kind’ and we live this motto every day. Chick-Fil-A has been politically outspoken about its views, and we feel it is not part of Lusher’s culture of kindness and community.”
Related: Chick-fil-A won’t stop donating to anti-LGBTQ groups, says it’s part of a “higher calling”
Speaking to WDSU, Corbett said he turned down the meals — provided by the College Football Playoff Foundation — because he wants his school to be ‘sensitive to the LGBTQ community.’
“Anytime an organization is anti-LGBTQ, and has efforts to infringe upon their rights, we thought it was important to support and stand up for their community at this time,” Corbett said.
The foundation agreed to find an alternate meal to provide to staff, WDSU reports.
Chick-fil-A has donated millions of dollars to anti-LGBTQ organizations and earlier this year said it wouldn’t stop the practice because funding discriminatory groups was part of a “higher calling.”
Asked about the donations, a Chick-fil-A executive argued that because the organizations the company donates to are helping young people, it doesn’t matter if they also discriminate against LGBTQ people.
Related: Chick-fil-A is still giving millions of dollars to anti-LGBTQ groups
In March this year, it was revealed that Chick-fil-A had donated almost $2 million to anti-LGBTQ groups in 2017.
The largest sum, $1.6 million, went to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a religious organization that requires its members to adhere to a “sexual purity” policy that outlaws “homosexual acts.”
Chick-fil-A’s perceived anti-LGBTQ animus also stems from its CEO Dan Cathy and his views on homosexuality.
Cathy caused controversy in 2012 when he publicly stated his opposition to same-sex marriage, telling the Baptist Press, “We are very much supportive of the family — the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that.”
That was further compounded when it was revealed that in 2009 Chick-fil-A donated almost $2 million to anti-LGBTQ groups, including the Marriage & Family Legacy Fund, the National Christian Foundation, the Eagle Forum and the Family Research Council.
In 2016, boycotts of the restaurant were called for when the company announced plans to open its first location in New York City, with Councilmember Danny Dromm calling the company “anti-LGBT” and accusing Chick-fil-A of imparting “a strong anti-LGBT message by forcing their employees and volunteers to adhere to a policy that prohibits same-sex love.”
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