Denver city council members delayed Chick-fil-A's proposal to open a restaurant at the Denver International Airport by two weeks, pointing to the restaurant chain's history of support for traditional marriage, and saying that the city council needs time to consider "all the policies... to ensure there will be no discrimination," according to a statement by the city council.
"Gay and lesbian families have been fighting for decades for full recognition of their relationships," the statement reads. "Denver has been at the forefront of honoring gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees and their families with non-discrimination clauses and partner benefits for many of these decades. These are long standing values Denver has held."
Paul Lopez, a Denver council member called the stalling of Chick-fil-A's operation at DIA, "really, truly a moral issue."
Three years ago, the company president Dan Cathy said that "Biblical definition of the family unit" does not correspond to same-sex unions. He even said that he was "guilty as charged" in supporting heterosexual marriage.
After the Supreme Court allowed gay couples federal benefits in 2013, he tweeted, "Sad day for our nation; founding fathers would be ashamed of our gen. to abandon wisdom of the ages re: cornerstone of strong societies." After protests from LGBT groups, he deleted the tweet.
The council committee will decide on the request of letting Chick-fil-A serve chicken at DIA on September 1.
The statement of Council members continued: "When Denver International Airport proposed a concession with a company that had a history of funding opposition to this recognition, it was important that we as a City Council take a pause to ensure that all the policies are in place with all of the entities involved to ensure there will be no discrimination, and that benefits will be provided equally to all employees and their spouses, regardless of their sexual orientation".
Robin Kniech, a gay councilwoman, said Chick-fil-A will make "corporate profits used to fund and fuel discrimination" by operating at the DIA.
However, the Chick-fil-A responded to these allegations in an email to CNNMoney that the restaurant chain is "focused on serving great food and providing remarkable service to every single customer."
"Chick-fil-A, Inc. and its franchised restaurant owners are equal opportunity employers, with more than 75,000 individuals who represent many diverse viewpoints, opinions, backgrounds and beliefs," it stated.
The company had increased their funds to foundations such as Marriage & Family, and National Christian Foundations from $1.9 million to over $3.6 million from 2010 to 2011. Amid LGBT protests the next year, the company stopped these payments completely according the NGO's tax documents which were made public.
Cathy has reportedly left himself out of the political debates, as a result of social media backlash arising out of expressing his personal beliefs.
"All of us become more wise as time goes by. We sincerely care about all people. I'm going to leave it to politicians and others to discuss social issues," Cathy was quoted as saying by the USA Today in 2014.
According to a poll conducted at airports in 2013, Chick-fil-A was voted the second-most sought-after restaurant after Chipotle, which never applied to open an outlet at an airport.
Colorado Springs Gazette editor Wayne Laugesen cautioned the opposition to Chick-fil-A based on personal preference of the owner.
"Where does this lead? Does this lead to Christian city council members saying that they won't sign contracts and allow people to participate in the marketplace if they're atheists? Are we going to have Muslim council members saying that they don't want to allow Jewish CEOs to participate in the marketplace? This is a very dangerous precedent. It is a blatant and flagrant violation of the First Amendment," he said.
