A high school football booster club in Ventura was prohibited from selling Chick-fil-A sandwiches at its back-to-school night event because the principal didn’t like the restaurant owner’s position on gay marriage, according to CBS Los Angeles.
Val Wyatt, principal of Ventura High School, was quoted in the Ventura County Star as stating, “With their political stance on gay rights and because the students of Ventura High School and their parents would be at the event, I didn’t want them on campus.”
The principal was echoed by Ventura Unified School District Superintendent Trudy Tuttle Arriaga, who said, “We value inclusivity and diversity on our campus and all of our events and activities are going to adhere to our mission.”
The local Chick-fil-A had offered to donate 200 meals for free, having already given $21,000 to the booster club. However, because the deceased owner of the restaurant chain, S. Truett Cathy, was well-known for being a religious Christian, and his son, current president, Dan T. Cathy, is known for his anti-gay marriage stance, the school rendered this decision.
The booster club is intimately involved with the team, supplying food and uniforms to the players.
One student’s mother, Michelle Cisneros, said she and her daughter were furious about the decision and made their feelings known to school officials. She stated, “Everybody is embraced. And Chick-fil-A should have been allowed to be here.”
She was opposed by student Graham Wallace, who asserted, “There are gay kids that go to our school, and for them it might be kind of weird.”
Chick-fil-A will still be allowed to donate to the booster club; when school is not in session, the booster club will sell tickets off-campus for meals at the restaurant.