While the chain denies its anti-gay agenda, Chick-Fil-A was discovered to have donated more than $1 million to anti-gay causes between 2003 and 2008, according to reports at Equality Matters. In 2009, the chicken fast food chain donated nearly $2 million more to anti-gay groups including the Marriage & Family Legacy Fund, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and Focus on The Family.
The donations were given though WinShape, the charitable arm of Chick-Fil-A, founded by the chain’s founder and chairman S. Truett Cathy in 1984. WinShape donated to the following groups in 2009 alone:
• Marriage & Family Legacy Fund: $994,199
• Fellowship Of Christian Athletes: $480,000
• National Christian Foundation: $240,000
• Focus On The Family: $12,500
• Eagle Forum: $5,000
• Exodus International: $1,000
• Family Research Council: $1,000
After controversy arose after the donations went public, Chick-Fil-A president and COO Dan Cathy insisted the donations were merely coincidental, and that the fast food chain has “no agenda against anyone,” and that the company would never “champion any political agenda” surrounding traditional marriage.
