The successful fried chicken chain Chick-fil-A has for years been admired by religious-right leaders for its founder's Christian faith and the expression of that faith in business practices like remaining closed on Sundays. But earlier this month, religious-right leaders and pundits got mad over a social media post made by a local Chick-fil-A location in Orem, Utah, congratulating a same-sex couple on their wedding.
The complainers got even more upset when the company’s headquarters responded to their griping by affirming its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Religious-right activists had also complained in 2023 when the company hired a vice president to oversee DEI efforts.
On Monday, the Family Research Council’s Washington Stand—FRC’s “outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview”—slammed Chick-fil-A for having “lost its way” by embracing “wokeism.”
The article quoted David Closson, director of FRC’s Center for Biblical Worldview, insulting company leaders by claiming that “recent developments suggest that this commitment [to the founders’ Christian ideals] increasingly functions as marketing rather than sincere conviction.” Some might suggest the same about certain MAGA movement leaders backed by FRC.