Students Walk Out to Protest Chick-fil-A at Football Games

A group of Oregon high school students organized by the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance club walked out of school last week in protest of the presence of a Chick-fil-A food truck at the school’s football games.

The students at West Linn High School walked out to protest the school’s use of Chick-fil-A as a food vendor at football games, reported KATU2, apparently because they view the presence of the popular fast-food chain to be part of an unsafe environment for LGBTQ students. They said some students have experienced harassment in classrooms and on sports teams.

The Gay-Straight Alliance reportedly said Chick-fil-A supports anti-LGBTQ organizations and charities.

As the group of students organized by the Gay-Straight Alliance walked out of school, another group also left the school wearing “Make America Great Again” hats and waving Chick-fil-A bags.

KATU2 reported officials at the high school said the Chick-fil-A food truck will remain at the football games throughout the season, but they will reconsider their vetting process for contracts with vendors in the future.

“The West Linn-Wilsonville School District takes all matters of school safety seriously, and diligently investigates and addresses all potential safety concerns,” said Andrew Kilstrom, the school’s public information officer. “That includes bullying or cyberbullying.”

Kilstrom added he was not aware of any acts of harassment against students at the school. He said Chick-fil-A was one of several food vendors selected by the high school booster club for the football season.

Chick-fil-A is America’s fastest-growing fast-food chain brand, according to a July analysis by Goldman Sachs. It is a favorite target of LGBT activist groups because it holds to the biblical principles that guided the founding of the business by S. Truett Cathy.

The chain more than doubled its sales since 2011, when Chick-fil-A Christian Chairman and CEO Dan T. Cathy voiced support for traditional marriage between one man and one woman.

The chain has been condemned by progressives for its donations to the Salvation Army and other Christian organizations. The left claims the Salvation Army is anti-LGBT and, subsequently, Chick-fil-A has been barred from college campuses, airports, and other venues, because of its donations to the Salvation Army.

Ironically, there was no outcry from the left when, in August, tech giant Google announced it donated $1.5 million to the Salvation Army to assist in the charity’s efforts to fight homelessness in San Francisco and San Jose.

The Salvation Army website states it is “committed to serving the LGBTQ community” by providing food and shelter, job training, substance abuse counseling, and other assistance.

On its website, Chick-fil-A states its foundation will continue to “donate to programs that support a diverse array of youth and educational programs nationwide.”

“The 140,000 people who serve customers on a daily basis represent and embrace all people, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity,” Chick-fil-A says.

Results of customer satisfaction company Market Force’s annual survey of “America’s favorite” fast food chains revealed Chick-fil-A received top billing.

In 2018, Chick-fil-A was presented with a Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Award for being among the top 100 best places to work. The restaurant chain was also included in Glassdoor’s Top 100 CEOs.

Chick-fil-A was recognized again in 2018 for customer experience in the Temkin Experience Ratings survey and then named “Best Franchise Brand” by Airport Revenue News. The company was included as well last year in Forbes’ list of best employers and as a National Society of High School Scholars top employer.

In 2016, healthy eating site Eat This, Not That! rated Chick-fil-A’s grilled chicken sandwich as one of the best fast-food sandwiches anywhere for healthy eating.

“Simply put: Order this. Every time,” urged the site. “Made with many natural ingredients we can get behind—such as whole spelt flour, red bell peppers, and fruit juices for sweetness—this is the very best sandwich at Chick-Fil-A, and one of the best fast food sandwiches anywhere.”