The next chapter in the national debate
over Chick-fil-A and its chief executive's opposition to gay marraige comes
Friday, when gay rights activists are planning a "kiss in" event.
Activists are planning a "National
Same-Sex Kiss Day at Chick-fil-A" on Friday. As part of the event, couples
are encouraged to go one of the chicken restaurant's locations and take a photo
or video of themselves kissing.
"Let's show Chick-fil-A thanks for
their support of Love, Equality, and the Real Definition of Marriage! Invite
your friends!" organizers said on its Facebook page.
The move comes after thousands of
restaurant supporters came out to back the CEO's stance. In some cases, there
were long lines at locations.
Vicki Parsons, a Tustin resident who runs a
small Internet technology company in Santa Ana, stood in line with her daughter
for an hour and 10 minutes at a Costa Mesa location but said it was well worth
the wait.
"The ability for a company to be able
to believe what they want to believe and still have their doors open to whoever
wants to or chooses to give their business -- that's why I'm here," she
said. "Yes, I am a Christian, but my strongest support stems from being a
business owner. I want to believe what I want to believe and not be condemned
for what I believe, and give people the freedom of choice, if they want to do
business with us."
Newport Beach resident Ian Conger cited
both business and religion as his reasons for dining Wednesday at the
relatively new Costa Mesa location.
"This company is family-owned, and
they're putting their money where they want to, and that's their right,"
he said. "Nobody should tell someone how they should spend their money.
God is very good to my wife and I, and I feel God's going to be with us through
this and he'll be with the opposer as well. He doesn't hate anybody."
Lake Forest resident Deanna Kirchen stood
in line with her children to support the restaurant for religious reasons.
"I've been in line for over an hour,
and I'm only about three-quarters of the way through," she said. "I'm
hungry and yes, we came here for lunch, but I wanted to support Chick-fil-A for
having the cojones to stand up for biblical values."
Chick-fil-A drew criticism after Chief
Executive Dan Cathy recently said he and his company were against gay marriage.
The comments drew strong reactions, with customers pledging to boycott the
chain and some mayors proclaiming they would not allow Chick-fil-A to open in
their cities.
In response, former Arkansas Gov. Mike
Huckabee declared Wednesday to be Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day, calling on
people to eat at the restaurant to show support.
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