UPDATE @ 5:04 p.m. January 5, 2011:
The Advocate reports that the Chick-fil-A name has been removed from banner ads promoting a marriage event sponsored by the antigay Pennsylvania Family Institute.
ORIGINAL POST:
The Advocate is reporting that nationwide fast food chain Chick-fil-A has thrown its support behind “The Art of Marriage,” a series of antigay marriage conferences being held next month in south-central Pennsylvania.
From The Advocate:
On February 11 and 12, the Pennsylvania Family Institute and Chick-fil-A will sponsor two events, designed to “help couples apply what the Bible teaches about marriage in a powerful way,” according to GoodAsYou.org.
Chick-fil-A is backing events in Harrisburg and Reading, and while promotional materials for the events aren’t specifically antigay, the Family Institute is Pennsylvania’s largest antigay, anti–marriage equality group.
This isn’t the first time the restaurant chain has been taken to task for its support of antigay groups. In 2009, Change.org reported Chick-fil-A had supported Focus on the Family.
That group, founded by the Reverend James Dobson, supports reparative therapy programs and has donated hundreds of thousand of dollars to passing antigay legislation.
A representative for Chick-fil-A tweeted on Tuesday that the company was looking into the sponsorship and would release a statement shortly.
