Bostonians in search of fast food with a side order of same-sex marriage opposition may have to search outside the city for such an option, as Mayor Tom Menino has vowed to block the chain restaurant from opening a location in the city due to its president's anti-gay beliefs.
In an interview with the Boston Herald last week, Menino said the chain's beliefs ran counter to the city's traditions of freedom and tolerance, so it was therefore unwelcome in Boston.
“Chick-fil-A doesn't belong in Boston," Menino told the paper. "You can’t have a business in the city of Boston that discriminates against a population. We’re an open city, we’re a city that’s at the forefront of inclusion."
Chick-fil-A has been eyeing a new location along Boston's Freedom Trail, a walking path that traverses many historical sites in the city that were central to the Revolution. That site in particular riled Menino, who said placing a branch there would be totally out of step with what the Freedom Trail stands for.
“That’s the Freedom Trail. That’s where it all started right here. And we’re not going to have a company, Chick-fil-A or whatever the hell the name is, on our Freedom Trail," he added.
The furor over the chain restaurant reached a head last week when President and CEO Dan Cathy told the Baptist Press what many have known for years, that he and his company strongly oppose same-sex marriage. In that interview, Cathy affirmed his support for the, "Biblical definition of the family unit."
"Well, guilty as charged," he told the Press when asked if his company opposed same-sex marriage.
In years past, Cathy and Chick-fil-A have given millions of dollars to anti-gay groups. In 2009 alone, he sent $1.7 million to such causes, including the National Christian Foundation and Tony Perkins' Family Research Council.
