On Friday August 3rd, police and mall security outnumbered protesters at the Burlington Mall Chick-Fil-A, where GetEQUAL MA and Join the Impact Massachusetts participated in a nationwide kiss-in highlighting the discriminatory donation practices of the fast food chain. “Chick-Fil-A has donated approximately $5,000,000 to hate groups, including Exodus International, which practices harmful conversion therapy aimed at ‘curing’ gays, and the Family Research Council, which equates homosexuality with pedophilia,” stated Holly Stevens, a board member of Join the Impact Massachusetts, and one of the organizers of the Chick-Fil-A action. “This protest is not about Mr. Cathy’s right to express his views; it’s about his company’s financial support of organizations that promote hate, violence and bigotry.”
About a dozen protesters became human billboards denouncing the fast food chain, wearing such slogans as “Eat less hate” and “Chick-Fil-A funds homophobia.” Three couples kissed in front of the Chick-Fil-A as mall security looked on alongside Brian Camenker of the anti-LGBT hate group MassResistance, the man who is alleged to be behind the armed police officers presence at the mall. “The most significant moment of the action, for me, was when the diners in the mall food court erupted into applause and cheers in support of the couples kissing,” reflected James Croft, a board member with Join the Impact Massachusetts, and kiss-in participant. “It reminded me that we in the LGBTQ community have many allies we might not even dream of, and that our fight for equality, at least in Massachusetts, is finding widespread support. While a kiss-in may seem a small action to take, at the mall we reached hundreds of people and, through the press, thousands more. One kiss can make a big difference.”
After about five minutes of kissing, the organizers marched out of the mall to chanting “Homophobia has got to go!” as store owners cheered and numerous news outlets waited outside to cover the kiss-in. While the media’s interpretation of the kiss-in focused on the counter-protesters’ response to the Chick-Fil-A appreciation day two days earlier, and Chick-Fil-A COO Dan Cathy’s staunch opposition to marriage equality, representatives of the protest tried their best to shift the narrative away from marriage and back onto the donations. “This isn’t a first amendment issue, this is a fourteenth amendment issue,” expressed Cathy Kristofferson, board member of Join the Impact MA and state lead for GetEQUAL MA. “Donations like those from the Winshape foundation help fund bigotry and inequality in our country. That is why GetEQUAL has embarked on a Fight for the 14th Campaign to battle for full federal equality for all citizens.”
