This year's Iowa City's Pride Fest has an unlikely new sponsor: Chick-fil-A. According to local news station KCRG Adam Donius, owner of Chick-fil-A's Coralville, Iowa location, has agreed to donate 200 sandwiches and sides for Iowa City's annual pride picnic, which is being held on June 19. This comes as a surprise to many who have labeled the fast-food spot as against gay rights. Organizers of the event explained that the idea of bringing the community together is what appealed to Donius and resulted in the food donation.
This news comes after the popular fast-food chain was banned from Johns Hopkins University due to antigay comments made by President Dan Cathy in 2012. Cathy has been very outspoken on his opinion that gay families are not "biblical families," even taking it to social media with his anti-homosexual tweet calling the DOMA ruling a "sad day for our nation." However, his negative opinion has not stopped many Americans from calling the chain their favorite or deterred the chain's plans for expansion. While Chick-fil-A's antigay reputation may not be erased any time soon, it appears that not all those associated with the company share Cathy's opinion.