Our country is reaching a tipping point. Where private citizens are having their rights determined by others in positions of power. Where corporations are considered “people” by the Supreme Court and yet the shining happy faces of monogamous gay couples can’t walk into their local City Hall to get married. Where cities are taking a moral stand and holding companies responsible for the hate speech that comes out of their CEO/COO’s office. As most of you have heard, the COO of Chick-Fil-A has made public statements regarding his views, both personally and as a representation of the company, against gay marriage and gay rights…and gays as a whole. He has stated the the corporation is strictly run on “biblical principals” and that they have made a clear stance, as an establishment, against gay marriage. It doesn’t stop with us. They have at least a dozen discrimination lawsuits underway, treating heterosexually identified women as second class citizens and easy canon fodder to fire at will. The CEO has publicly stated that Chick-Fil-A would potentially fire someone who has “been sinful” in their private lives. This is not about censorship. It’s about supporting discrimination, supporting hatred, supporting a culture that inspires people to do harm. We at The L Stop completely and unequivocally respect the right of freedom of speech, but hate speech is not protected by freedom of speech. We passionately do not condone or support hate speech or hate crimes in any form. To rally support for such bigotry, people came out in hoards to make purchases during “Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day” on Wednesday (sponsored by Mike Huckabee-R Arkansas). In response, a big gay national Kiss-In peaceful protest was organized on Friday. History is being made, and we were honored to be a small piece in this very large puzzle.
For more information:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-badash/chick-fil-a-5-reasons-it-isnt-what-you-think_b_1725237.html
http://www.glaad.org/blog/chick-fil-sued-gender-discrimination
Once again the amazing Torie McMillan captured history like no one else can.
About Leah Schein
Leah is a born and bred Chicagoan, and considers herself extremely fortunate to be raised by amazing liberal parents in Logan Square. Coming from a long family history of equality activism, the crazy world of politics feels like home to her. Her upbringing allowed her to fully appreciate her love of tacos, and provided the support needed to be independent and insane. She is a happy survivor of the public school system, all the way through her undergrad years, culminating with a BA in anthropology. Her love of travel and all things adventurous led to the pursuit of a Master of Science from sunny ol’ England, where she happily grasped a conservation degree and ran off to live in a number of rain forests to research nocturnal primates. Through the amazing diversity she was fortunate to be raised amongst, she has an unwavering appreciation of all cultures and peoples, and has used this to form the foundation of her outspoken support of civil rights. You may have seen her running around Boystown/Tuna town over the last decade, or at events she volunteers at for the Human Rights Campaign. It’s possible you spied her at the Silent Film Festival. That strange woman getting into a wrestling match in the leaves on Foster Ave beach at 3am…that definitely wasn’t her. She couldn’t be more excited about sharing her love of science, and it’s role in our daily lives, with the community she loves. Nerds are cool, people. They drink martini’s too.
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