Chick-fil-A Same Sex Kiss Day Protests Staged Across USA

Last Friday protesters across the United States staged Same Sex Kiss Day, a nationwide "kiss-in" to protest Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy's recent anti-gay marriage comments. The protest took place just two days after Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day, during which the chain experienced record sales after politics person Mike Huckabee urged those in favor of Cathy's stance to show their support by buying fried chicken sandwiches.

The Same Sex Kiss Day was organized by Dallas activist Carly McGehee, who managed to spread the word to 15,000 people on Facebook in the weeks leading up to Friday's protest. Various news outlets checked in on various franchises of the chain on Friday. It seems like most gatherings were peaceful. Reuters, for example, points out a man at a Decatur, Georgia location kissing his partner and saying, "It's a human rights issue, not a First Amendment issue." And over in Austin, the group ProHomo put on what seemed to be a pretty lively and well-attended protest. You can see more photos of kiss-ins throughout the country on the organization's Facebook page.

Though most articles and Facebook photos suggest a healthy and wide turnout, it doesn't look like numbers on Friday reached the level of Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day, which some estimate was over half a million customers. Chick-fil-A hasn't released sales figures for either date, publishing instead only a prepared statement from their vice president for marketing: "At Chick-fil-A, we appreciate all of our customers and are glad to serve them at any time. Our goal is simple: to provide great food, genuine hospitality and to have a positive influence on all who come into contact with Chick-fil-A.”

And of course there were critics who said the whole thing was a failure: in an article published on Saturday, New York Post columnist Andrea Peyser — "columnist" is apparently what they call muckraking trolls at the publication — kept things classy, as usual. She went to one location in a New Jersey mall, didn't find that many people making out. She also used her infamous far-reaching fast food franchise gaydar and reported that "there was a similar lack of necking in Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and San Francisco" without citing a single source. Instead, Peyser writes, "gays preferred staying home to watch The Real Housewives of New Jersey." She added, "From Georgia to California, protests drew yawns, not saliva."

· Chick-fil-A hit by "kiss-in" protests in gay marriage flap [Reuters]
· Smacker In The Eye [The Daily]
· Chicken lips are scarce [New York Post]
· All Chick-fil-A Coverage on Eater [-E-]