Dan Cathy, President of Chick-fil-A, declared that he believes that marriage should be between a man and a woman, the traditional definition. Chick-fil-A does not deny services to gays or refuse to hire them though Mr. Cathy does support causes that hold his values. It was no surprise that this stance provoked a backlash from those who want gay marriage. That is not unusual and hardly newsworthy. What made it newsworthy was when mayors across the country declared their displeasure with Mr. Cathy and announce their intent to block him from opening stores in their jurisdiction. Mayor Emanuel of Chicago declared that Mr. Cathy did not share the values of Chicago (President Obama, himself from Chicago, agreed with Mr. Cathy until 3 months ago) and was therefore not welcome. The mayors of Boston and San Francisco said much the same. This is what made the story big news. Elected politicians were discriminating on the basis of religion.
In response to attacks by government, citizens showered support on the company. The reaction to this was puzzling. Shepard Smith of Fox News called it the National Day of Intolerance. Some have compared those who supported the company with those who stood against integration in the 60s. As with the contraceptive issue that struck the churches recently, the defender has been transformed into the aggressor. Mr. Cathy and all those who supported Chick-fil-A are being painted as hate-filled bigots because they don't embrace gay marriage. As for the comparison with the Civil Rights movement, black pastors across the country are vocally denouncing the comparison. Gays are not sitting in the back of the bus, being sent to separate bathrooms and water fountains, being set upon by police dogs or blasted with fire hoses, or denied voting rights. The Civil Rights argument only works on those who don't know history.
Who is intolerant? Chick-fil-A doesn't discriminate against gays. Those who support traditional marriage aren't calling for Jim Crow laws against gays. They are willing to tolerate gays though not embrace gay marriage. On the other side, we have mayors who want to punish those who voice support for traditional marriage. A man in Tucson, AZ, berated a Chick-fil-A employee at the drive-thru window and posted it on YouTube. Someone painted graffiti on a Chick-fil-A that said 'Taste the Hate.' So which of these groups tolerates differing beliefs and which doesn't?
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