A Catholic college has reportedly decided not to bring fast-food chain Chick-fil-A to its campus after student groups and individual pupils complained over LGBTQ issues as well as the restaurant’s menu.
After consulting with gay rights group Rainbow Alliance, United Student Government, the Commuter Students Association and the Residence Hall Association, Fordham University in New York City decided against adding Chick-fil-A to its dining options, according to a report in the Fordham Observer, a student newspaper.
According to the report, the Rainbow Alliance was specifically consulted due to the fact that Chick-fil-A was the focus of boycotts in 2012 after CEO Dan Cathy said that the Christian-owned company backs traditional marriage.
But according to the Fordham Observer, Chick-fil-A offered to partner with the Rainbow Alliance on “unspecified programming” if the restaurant came to fruition, but the organization unanimously voted against that proposal.
“If they want to bring in Chick-Fil-A, they can bring in Chick-Fil-A,” Rainbow Alliance co-president Renata Francesco told the outlet. “But we’re not going to partner with an institution, a corporation that has so strongly supported other institutions that work to destabilize and demolish movements for queer equity.”
In the end, the controversy heated up and Fordham axed the Chick-fil-A proposal. Conservative commentator Todd Starnes, who is hardly a fan of the decision, responded to the story by writing that “such childish insolence has become the norm on university campuses these days.”
It’s important to note, though, that the Fordham Observer also cited complaints over the menu as well as the fact that the school would need to revamp a nearby hot entrée station to make way for the presence of a competitive national chain as reasons for the rejection.
The school has no additional plans to install any other national chains after the Chick-fil-A decision.
As Faithwire previously reported, Fordham University isn’t the only school to have internal debate over the potential presence of a Chick-fil-A, as students at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, debated the school’s plans to install the restaurant next fall. Contrary to the Fordham situation, though, the school has publicly affirmed that it is moving forward with its plans.
“Duquesne University continually looks for ways to enhance the on-campus dining experience for its students,” read a university statement posted to Facebook last month. “Duquesne initially reached out to Chick-fil-A because of significant student interest in adding this dining option.”
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