Chick-Fil-A

12:44 p.m. Downtown Decatur Chick-Fil-A

Two back to back arguments, demonstrating not only my ‘inner conflict’ on the protests but how idealism can sound silly on either side. I talked to a black woman holding a multi-colored protest sign.

Me:  “I understand the problem, and I get not wanting to support Dan Cathy, but it’s not like this is Dennys in the 90’s. They were actively discriminating against customers and employees. These local operators don’t’ necessarily have anything to do with Dan Cathy.”

Protest Woman: “I know, but people should do research on who they’re purchasing from. I mean, before they bought the Chick-Fil-A franchise they should’ve seen what kinds of things the ownership stands for.”

I thought that was a pretty high standard to hold someone to. I am pretty sure that “Do you support anti-gay marriage policies?” was the last thing in a potential franchisee’s mind when buying a chicken joint in 1990. Once back inside the store, some 17 year old white kid with bad skin, overhearing me and my friend Jason discussing the protests decides to chime in.

Pimply Faced Teen: “The people out there are harassing me,they harassed me as I walked in here. I don’t see what they’re all screaming about.”

Me: “They aren’t screaming, they aren’t keeping anyone from coming inside and I haven’t seen them harass anybody. They have a right to protest just like we have a right to eat here. That’s how America works. There are people dying in the Middle East right now for us to have the right sit here, and them out there.”

The kid shut up, the old people behind us stopped talking and stared. Here’s a hint, whenever you’re arguing rights with conservatives, just throw in a “People are dying in the Middle East so that we have a right to _________” and you’ll win the argument. Even if you don’t believe it. After those fights, I finish my lemonade and move on.

1:50 p.m. Chick-Fil-A Colony Square Downtown Atlanta

2:39 p.m. Chick-Fil-A Lindbergh Station Buckhead area of Atlanta

Still more nothing. The one employee I asked about the protest looked confused and kept repeating the words “gay” to me like he didn’t understand. I think he was mentally slow. No kissing, no glitter-bombs. Nothing, I’m getting discouraged.

2:59 p.m. Chick-Fil-A Druid Hills

I’m starting to wonder what’s wrong with this movement. You can see gay people kissing and holding hands in Atlanta everyday of the week, but on a day of nation protest I had literally not seen anyone kiss, anyone hold hands. All I’d seen was a lesbian couple stuffing their kids with McDonald’s, and some grinning manager. Fortunately Pikachu saved me.

Outside of this Chick-Fil-A I ran into 5 high-school students who apparently had shown up just a few minutes before me, and were ready to show their support. The chubby leader girl was dressed in a bright yellow Pikachu outfit and told me that she was a Pikachu-sexual and that Chick-Fil-A probably didn’t support her lifestyle either. A curly-haired Justin Guarinilooking kid was wearing a rainbow shirt, daisy dukes and women’s lace underwear on the outside. They were all part of Lakeside Highschool’s GSA (Gay Straight Alliance) and were determined to have a good time.

First, I was impressed, there certainly was never a Gay Straight Alliance when I was in high-school. We just called it the Drama Club and left it at that. More importantly it was so encouraging to see a group of kids just protesting with joy in their hearts. To them, gay kids are just normal, this whole protest almost seems silly to them, and it was good to see that whatever queer students there were at Lakeside, they clearly had a clique to run with if they were willing to be down with Pokemon. Even the reluctant brunette Duncan (not his real name) told me that while his Mom told him “Not to get in trouble” he was out there and his sister was making out in front of some other Chick-Fil-A. I’m not sure if that was part of the protest of if that’s just how his big sister got down, but it was a nice touch.

4:38 p.m. Cobb Parkway Chick-Fil-A and Beyond

I went to a few other Chick-Fil-A’s throughout the day and didn’t see much happening. A few people mumbling support, managers looking nervous but protests were just not in full effect today. When I finally sat down at a local Barnes and Nobles to blurt out my thoughts a few things really stood out.

First, in the interest of full disclosure, I cannot honestly call myself a gay rights advocate or even an ally. I think those terms should be reserved for people who really put their own privilege on the line for others and are willing to go to bat for the gay rights movement. I’m move moved by race, poverty and environmental issues, but I am would you could call aconscientious sexual libertarian. The LGBT community should be allowed to marry, adopt gets, get healthcare and have the same rights, legally and socially as anyone else. I respect those who disagree with homosexuals on religious grounds they do actually have some scripture to back up that belief, but ultimately I believe in live and let live amongst consentingadults.

And for that reason I remain somewhat ambivalent after my day of protest watching. So Dan Cathy is a bigot? Don’t eat Chick-Fil-A anymore, and protest his personal office. But unless there’s a policy or pattern of discrimination going on (like you had with Denny’s or Mobile oil), unless there’s a story out there of a Chick-Fil-A refusing to cater a gay wedding, I really couldn’t find myself fully supporting these protests even though I support people’s right to do so. In the end I got to tour around Atlanta and eat fruit-cups and get free lemonade. I probably won’t eat Chick-Fil-A for awhile, partially out of solidarity and partially I’m on that no carb diet thing. I may not be the best advocate for gay/straight alliances but I will do my own small part. Sorry Cows, it’s back to Burger King for me.

This article originally appeared online at Politic365.com.

Travel Blogging the Chick-Fil-A Protests.  On Friday, August 3, Dr. Jason Johnson visited several Chick-Fil-A restaurants in Georgia.

I just spent my whole day trying to catch gay people kissing. In Atlanta of all places, you’d think it wouldn’t be that hard.

“Why?” You ask? Because this feud between Chick-Fil-A CEO Dan Cathy and various gay advocacy groups in America has escalated to Nas v.s. Jay-Z levels, with the initial diss, then the backlash, then the backlash to the backlash and now, on Friday the 3rd of August, it’s Chick-Fil-A Backlash 4: This Time it’s Personal.

On Friday national gay rights organizations, individuals and allies banded together for a “Kiss In” wherein gay couples were to kiss in front of Chick-Fil-A, and post the pictures on-line to show up C-F-A CEO Dan Cathy for his anti-gay politics and beliefs. I’m in Atlanta, the Chick-Fil-A Dome (literally) and headquarters and decided to do a roving gay-kissing-protesting-travelogue of as many Chick-Fil-A restaurants that I could get to in a day.

In the end I feel greasy, tired, and most of all confused about what this all really meant.

10:32 a.m. Chick-Fil-A Smyrna (Just outside Atlanta)

I started at the Smyrna store because it was actually ground zero for a CNN story about the Chick-Fil-A v.s. Gays beef just a few days earlier. After the initial ‘backlash’ former Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee organized an “Appreciation Day” for the franchise were people were encouraged to come out to C-F-A and show their support for Dan Cathy NOT supporting gay marriage. The Smyrna store apparently got huge crowds, not surprising in a district that was once represented by Newt Gingrich.

When I got there this morning it looked pretty normal. No kissing, no rainbow flags, or cow-scrawled graffiti saying “Tastes Like Hate”. Of course, it might be too early, who wants to get up on a hot Friday morning and kiss somebody in front of a chicken joint? After hovering around for a bit, and realizing it’s not like I could TELL if anyone in the place was gay just by looking, I realized I was starving so I had to order something. Trust me, I was conflicted for awhile, I’m tepidly in support on these anti-Chick-Fil-A protests and boycotts (more on that later) so I didn’t really want to put money into the corporate baddie’spockets. So I settled on buying a $2.95 fruit cup. NO, I was not being funny, I’m on one of those “No Carb” meal plans and it was either a fruit cup or a wilted garden salad drenched with gooey ranch at 10 in the morning. I finally asked the manager “Meredith” (not her real name) about Appreciation Day and about Friday’s protests.

“There were lines around the corner. People parked over at the hospital, and behind at the motel just to walk over here. I had to work 9 ½ hours that day.” She said.

Any Protests today?

“Nope.”

A little bummed that my first foray into the kissing protest was so flat I ate my fruit cup and plotted out my next Kerouacian voyeur session.

12:18 p.m. Chick-Fil-A Downtown Decatur

We employ more than 70 people — many of which are DHS students. We have provided more than 20 college scholarships to team members in our restaurant alone with many of those awarded to DHS students. Our passion is building leaders for future generations, regardless of sexual orientation or beliefs.

We know that some of our guests are upset by comments made by Dan Cathy, president of Chick-fil-A Inc. He has made it clear to me those were his personal views, and that his intent was not to speak on behalf of every Chick-fil-A owner. We hope those who are upset will look at their relationship with our restaurant and allow us to continue to serve them. If you have questions or concerns, please come into the restaurant and speak with me personally.

With that in mind I was really curious to see what if anything popped off at the protests. When I got there, about 15 people, men, women, all races were on the corner with protest signs, encouraging passersby to honk in support and handing out literature on gay rights issues. There were probably more reporters there than actual protesters but, that kind of thing happens all the time.

The centerpiece of the protest though was a lesbian couple sitting in the grass with their four children sharing McDonald’s Happy Meals. I must admit, I was impressed with the creativity of the stunt, and the press was in a feeding frenzy to take pictures of this “Modern Family”. However, the choice of McDonald’s is a funny one, the burger giant joined the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce in 2008, but it’s not like they have the best or cleanest record when it comes to human rights or business practices.

I spent a lot of time walking back and forth between the protests and the Chick-Fil-A store itself, talking to the managers, waiting for a friend of mine to come join me from his nearby office and picking up bits and pieces of conversation. A pair of 30-something year old black women walked in saying:

Black Woman #1: Now I KNOW you aren’t doing anything to support gays!

Black Woman #2: Look I don’t care, I want some chicken.

That seemed to be the attitude of most people there, until the managers made their move.

12:30 p.m. Chick-Fil-A Decatur

The C-F-A was overloaded with managers that day, I guess because they didn’t know what to expect, and then suddenly all five men, in their pin-striped shirts and 90’s era khaki pants lined up with trays of freshly squirted lemonade and started making their way from the store to the protesters outside. I followed them out of the store knowing at least one of the following would happen.

Unfortunately only one of these options happened, and it was lemonade.

The managers were polite with their lemonade and the protesters and the press all politely declined. The protesters refused out of solidarity with the movement, the journalists because they wanted to appear objective. Since I’m neither, I had some. Sorry, it was 90 degrees outside. After that people starting looking at me, like the evil sell out that I was, and that was just the beginning of me being healthily positioned as an outsider.

This article originally appeared online at Politic365.com.