STARBUCKS USA SUPPORTS GAY MARRIAGE AND PRAISED FOR IT, WHILE CHICK-FIL-A GETS BOYCOTTED FOR THEIR OPPOSITION. -Who Do You Side With?
Starbucks publicly supported a gay marriage bill passed by the Washington state legislature this year.
Company management then sent a letter to employees saying the legislation, "aligned with Starbucks business practices and upholds our belief in the equal treatment of partners. It is core to who we are and what we value as a company."
US gay rights groups have since commended Starbucks for its support.
Meanwhile....
Chick-fil-A, the fast-food chain known for putting faith ahead of profits by closing on Sundays, is standing firm in its opposition to gay marriage after touching off a furor earlier this month.
Gay rights groups have called for a boycott, the Jim Henson Co. pulled its Muppet toys from kids' meals, and politicians in Boston and Chicago told the chain it is not welcome there.
Across the Bible Belt, where most of the 1,600 restaurants are situated, Christian conservatives have thrown their support behind the Atlanta-based company, promising to buy chicken sandwiches and waffle fries next week on "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day."
The latest skirmish in the nation's culture wars began when Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy told the Baptist Press that the company was "guilty as charged" for backing "the biblical definition of a family." In a later radio interview, he ratcheted up the rhetoric: "I think we are inviting God's judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at him and say, 'We know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage.'"
That fired up gay rights advocates, including a group that waged a campaign against the company in recent years by publicizing $3 million in contributions that the Cathy family foundation has made to conservative organizations such as the Family Research Council.
Ref: http://money.msn.com/business-news/article.aspx?feed=AP&date=20120726&id=15381183>1=33009&ocid=ansmony11