Chick-fil-A is re-evaluating donations the company gives to anti-gay organizations and other groups with "political agendas."
The decision comes after weeks of negotiations with a Chicago lawmaker, Alderman Joe Moreno. Moreno has protested against the building of a new Chick-fil-A in the Windy City, since the company's CEO, Dan Cathy, said he supports "the biblical definition of the family unit."
In a letter to Moreno, Chick-fil-A agreed to "take a closer look" at which groups receive donations from its charitable arm, WinShape.
Between 2008 and 2010, the WinShape Foundation gave $3.2 million to groups that
advocate against same-sex marriage, according to the group's tax reports.
Along with re-evaluating funding to anti-gay marriage activist groups, Moreno
said Chick-fil-A has agreed to amend its corporate policy to include sexual
orientation in its anti-discrimination policy.
"The company today has put into writing, for the first time, that its
employees are to ‘treat every person with honor, dignity and respect —
regardless of their beliefs, race, creed, sexual orientation and gender. .. our
intent is not to engage in political or social debates,'" Moreno said in a
statement.
Because of such changes to company policy, Moreno said he will recommend to
the Chicago City Council that Chick-fil-A construction plans be approved for its
new location in Chicago.
