Chick-fil-A Loses San Antonio Airport Deal Over Donations to Anti-LGBTQ Groups

Pious, conservative-leaning chicken sandwich chain Chick-fil-A has been dropped from the concessions lineup of the San Antonio International Airport due to the company’s support of anti-LGBTQ organizations.

Last week, the San Antonio City Council approved an amendment to a seven-year agreement for Terminal A concessions that removed Chick-fil-A from the plans. “San Antonio is a city full of compassion, and we do not have room in our public facilities for a business with a legacy of anti-LGBTQ behavior,” councilman Roberto Treviño explains in a statement. “Everyone has a place here, and everyone should feel welcome when they walk through our airport.” A rep for Chick-fil-A tells USA Today that “the press release issued by the councilmember was the first we heard of his motion and its approval by the San Antonio City Council.” 

The decision to block the chain from opening in the airport came one day after ThinkProgress reported that Chick-fil-A had donated $1.65 million in 2017 to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a religious non-profit group that maintains a “sexual purity” policy for its employees banning “homosexual acts.” Chick-fil-A also made smaller donations to Paul Anderson Youth Home, a “Christian residential home for trouble youth” that opposes gay marriage, as well as the Salvation Army, a group that has long been accused of LGBTQ discrimination.

This report comes seven years after it was revealed that Chick-fil-A’s charitable endeavor WinShape Foundation had donated millions of dollars to other originations with anti-LGBTQ agendas. In a statement at the time, a rep for Chick-fil-A tried to change the conversation by telling Buzzfeed, “We have no agenda, policy, or position against anyone.” But now it seems that the company never really intended to curb donations to groups that discriminate against the LGBTQ community.

In addition to losing the airport concessions deal, Chick-fil-A also got nixed from the dining options at Rider University in New Jersey last year after students complained about the brand’s track record of supporting anti-LGBTQ groups. The chicken sandwich purveyor is still one of America’s biggest chains, but its ambitious growth plan could certainly be hindered if more and more institutions like airports and college campuses continue to block the chain over its ties to anti-LGBTQ organizations.

• Chick-fil-A banned from opening at San Antonio airport, council members cite LGBTQ issues [USA Today]
• Chick-fil-A donated to anti-LGBTQ group that bars employees from ‘homosexual acts’ [Think Progress]
• Yes, Chick-fil-A’s Foundation Still Donates to Anti-LGBTQ Causes [E]