The chicken sandwich became a political
statement for a day as supporters of the Chick-fil-A president's stance against
gay marriage caused traffic jams at the fast-food chain's restaurants
nationwide.
Baking in the Southern California summer
heat, lines of Chick-fil-A fans snaked around the eateries and down streets
Wednesday as patrons ignored gay rights advocates armed with "Cluck
Off" signs and vuvuzelas urging them to eat elsewhere.
Crammed drive-throughs caused traffic jams
on nearby streets, often requiring attendants to direct cars. At several
locations in Orange County and Long Beach, lunchtime crowds swelled to more than
100 people.
Similar crowds converged across the country
at Chick-fil-A, which has more than 1,600 branches. In Madison, Ala., police
were called to maintain order. Some customers waited outside Chick-fil-A
restaurants carrying 8-foot crosses or dressed as Superman, according to users
on micro-blogging site Twitter.
Former presidential candidate Rick Santorum
tweeted about his Chick-fil-A lunch. "OK leftists go crazy," he
wrote.
The huge crowds were responding to a call
from another former presidential candidate, Mike Huckabee, who had dubbed Aug.
1 as Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day after the chain's president, Dan Cathy,
publicly spoke out against same-sex unions two weeks ago.
Cathy's comments, as well as revelations
that the chain has donated millions of dollars to anti-gay marriage groups,
have sparked a furor from several big-city mayors, actors Mia Farrow and
Roseanne Barr, Muppets creator Jim Henson Co. and thousands of consumers who
have pledged to boycott the chain.
Rival burger chain Wendy's ordered a North
Carolina franchisee to take down signs he had posted at dozens of locations
that read "We Stand With Chick-fil-A." In a statement, Wendy's said
it is "proud to serve customers of varied races, backgrounds, cultures and
sexual orientation, with different beliefs and values."
On Wednesday, popular West Hollywood bar
the Abbey unveiled its new sandwich, the Chick-For-Gay, which it plans to serve
to its largely gay and lesbian clientele through the November elections.
Still, more than 600,000 people RSVPed on
Facebook for Huckabee's appreciation event. He wrote on the social networking
site that he was "incensed at the vitriolic assaults" on the chain,
which he described as "a great American story that is being smeared by
vicious hate speech and intolerant bigotry from the left."
Huckabee, now a radio show host, posted
photos on Facebook of his visit Wednesday to a Chick-fil-A in Destin, Fla.
Not all customers eating at Chick-fil-A
sympathize with Cathy's stance against same-sex unions. Many said they were
backing the company's right to free speech. Others arrived to voice their
displeasure with liberal values in general.
"I'm not against gay rights by any
means, but I think this guy is getting a bad rap," Beaumont resident Ed
Vatter, 57, said over a plate of chicken nuggets and waffle fries at the
Chick-fil-A in Laguna Niguel.
"Plus," he said, "the food's
pretty good."
He was one of more than 150 customers who
jostled for seats as employees shouted out orders and people waited 30 minutes
in lines that stretched out the door at lunch time.
Retirees Susie Kendall, 78, and her
husband, Tom, 82, had never been to a Chick-fil-A before, but they swung by to
show support for Cathy's beliefs.
"We're afraid America is doing the
political thing instead of the right thing," said Susie, a homemaker, of
the shift toward gay marriage acceptance. "Political correctness can be
done away with as far as I'm concerned."
Outside, a single protester, Laguna Niguel
resident Tamara Lindner, 47, wore a shirt with a "No H8" logo and
referred to people who patronize Chick-fil-A as "sheep-le."
"This is the silent protest," she
said.
Chick-fil-A, a privately held company in
Atlanta, refused to comment on the effect of the appreciation day on its sales.
In a statement, it noted that the event
"was not created by Chick-fil-A" but said it appreciated "all of
our customers and are glad to serve them at any time."
The company, which operates under Christian
beliefs that include being closed Sundays, reiterated its "simple"
goal of providing "great food, genuine hospitality and ... a positive
influence on all who come into contact with Chick-fil-A."
It sent out a similar statement after Cathy
was quoted in a small Christian publication, the Baptist Press, that the chain
was "guilty as charged" of supporting "the biblical definition
of the family unit."
The story quickly went viral. Soon, Cathy
went on the Ken Coleman talk show, a syndicated radio program, and reiterated
his stance.
"I think we are inviting God's
judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at him and say, 'We know better
than you as to what constitutes a marriage,'" Cathy said. "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."
In more gay-friendly Hollywood, dozens of
Chick-fil-A critics crowded outside one restaurant waving signs as diners
munched on the outdoor patio.
Even People for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals showed up to protest the treatment of chickens before slaughter.
Police officers hung out by the counter,
watching for disturbances. A large rainbow flag fluttered from a Jeep that was
blaring its horn. The small parking lot and the drive-through lane were
overflowing, causing a traffic backup on nearby Sunset Boulevard.
One customer, Roy Simmons, 60, said he
ditched his habit of packing a lunch so he could cheer on Chick-fil-A's right
to an opinion. He also opposes gay marriage, he said.
"With the left, if you don't toe their
line and say what they want you to say, they shut you down as a hater, a bigot
or a homophobe," said the La Crescenta construction manager.
But protester Brian Hamilton, an actor,
said Cathy's comments had alienated many consumers — himself included.
"We are well aware of the
repercussions of hate speech when it is directed at [gay and lesbian]
people," said Hamilton, 48, a West Hollywood resident who said he is gay.
"It's not good business. It's not smart."
Gay rights sympathizers said they will
gather again Friday outside Chick-fil-A locations for National Same-Sex Kiss
Day, where they plan to publicly embrace in so-called kiss-ins to draw
attention to the company's donations to anti-gay marriage groups.
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