Boston Mayor Bans Chick-Fil-A Restaurants from City!

Posted by Kevin Farrell on Jul 20, 2012 in Business | 26 comments

Mayor Menino: Not having it!

Mayor Thomas Menino just plucked and fried the heck out of Chick-Fil-A’s proposed Boston restaurants, telling the homophobic company to get the cluck out of Boston!

“Chick-fil-A doesn’t belong in Boston. You can’t have a business in the city of Boston that discriminates against a population. We’re an open city, we’re a city that’s at the forefront of inclusion,” Menino told the Herald yesterday.

“That’s the Freedom Trail. That’s where it all started right here. And we’re not going to have a company, Chick-fil-A or whatever the hell the name is, on our Freedom Trail.”

“If they need licenses in the city, it will be very difficult — unless they open up their policies,” he warned.

The homophobic chicken-slingers have reportedly been pursuing leases on properties to open at least two locations near City Hall and Boston’s Holocaust Memorial.

DAMN, Gina!

Have you ever been so singularly impressed with a politician before in your life as you are this very second?

(via Boston Memorial c/o my dear pal Dennis)

actionjackson09

Go Boston!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Taelor-Anne-Bond/1449976585 Taelor Anne Bond

woo hoo! what a cool mayor!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Karen-Lindsey/631085093 Karen Lindsey

i’m still confused by this story. all i can see is that the ceo or whatever he is publically came out against gay marriage. but what ‘policies’ is menino referencing? is there any sort of discrimination going on, against customers or employees? it just seems there must be s something going on that makes it a legal or government issue….

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=508951055 Brody Rechlo

They donate millions of dollars every year to anti-equality organizations. And there was a photo leaked last year of a hiring advert of theirs that said, in the fine print, that, essentially, homosexuals need not apply. I think more mayors need to do this to them. The CEO is free to believe what he believes, but its needs to stay in his personal life
http://www.facebook.com/garthelmore Garth Bradley Elmore

proceeds of his sales are his salary, and as ceo of chick fil a he donates $$$ to organizations that oppose gay rights, equality or marriage.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=763954013 Mark Bieniek-Krawietz

They are against one group of people from having the same rights as everyone else!!!!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002265695433 Thynkie Dink

Can he really ban them?

http://www.facebook.com/garthelmore Garth Bradley Elmore

yes if they outright discriminate,
R. Scott Kimsey

Probably not on this basis. It’s a huge First Amendment problem, which I’m sure he knows. So this is probably more of a political stunt to garner headlines than anything else. I will vote against Chik-Fil-A with my feet, by not eating there. This politician doesn’t impress me because he knows very well it is a baseless position.
http://www.facebook.com/jared.dickhoff Jared Dickhoff

He can deny licsenses to any business that is trying to open up in his city with a valid reason (discrimination being a big one), so he can ban them in that sense yes.
GayIthacan

Of course he cannot outright ban them – but if the licensing procedures and city codes are enforced to the letter, he can make the process incredibly long and expensive for them – and make their lives miserable even if they DO meet all the requirements. They may realize it is cheaper in the long run just to drop their plans to try to expand into Boston.

http://www.facebook.com/garthelmore Garth Bradley Elmore

I want this mayor in my city now!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1314305345 Ericson Olds Harris

Wow. As we all hope and pray for tolerance, this seems very very intolerant of someone else’s views and beliefs. While I absolutely don’t agree with him, it is a private family owned company. Their beliefs are their own. They do not, and can not, discriminate against homosexual employees or customers. Also, I live in Atlanta and know plenty of gays that work for Chickfila, so I know they do hire gay people.

tony romo

but it is a business. a persons private beliefs are one thing (and he can not deny them those) but a business (and the publicly disclosed stance of that businesses owners, employees, founders etc… are another). just because gays and lesbians want legal equality does not mean that they or anyone must permit a business to operate and thus imfluance others. If they had decided they were also against equality for Blacks, Mexican-Americans, Jews, Muslims, and the Disabled, then this ban would be celebrated by the majority. it is because the disapproving of gay people is seen as a moral opposition, that it get connected with freedom of religion and thus we are told we must tolerate that view.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=501439595 Evan C. Paul

The thing is that all of those other groups are protected under federal law; orientation is not.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=501439595 Evan C. Paul

Actually, in most of the US they can. There are no laws against discrimination against orientation in terms of employment in the majority of US states.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_KR4OZOWZYTDGBFYE57YNBLBA7A Rick

just goes to show that bigotry wrapped in prayer is still bigotry!
http://www.MaleEroticDungeon.com/ Michael!

Can we get more mayors like this man across the country please. GOOD ON HIM! Good on Boston.
http://www.facebook.com/kenneth.lowery78 Vayne Lowery

JUSTICE!!
Its been so long since you graced me with your presence
http://www.facebook.com/bruce.sirota.5 Bruce Sirota

Stopping businesses that engage in employment discrimination that violate a city’s human rights law happens all the time. If Boston’s human rights law prohibits employment discrimination based on sexual orientation, and Chick O’flic’myass has a policy that denies equal employment opportunity to GLBT job applicants, keeping them out of Boston is quite possible. However, this bigoted employer is the reason why Congress needs to pass the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) that would make employment discrimination based on sexual orientation illegal in the same way the Civil Rights Act of 1964 stopped most race, sex, national origin, and religious discrimination in employment. Not a coincidence that Ted Kennedy was an original ENDA sponsor.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1314305345 Ericson Olds Harris

Chickfila has no such policy.

Milos Mom

Wonderful! We should all send him cupcakes or something…
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1158077608 Shawn Meindl

Haha. A few months ago, Chick-fil-a tried to open a branch in the food court at my school, Northeastern (in boston), and the student union voted it down due to the above mentioned bigotry. I didn’t realize they would ban it from the entire city though.
On an unrelated note, I was upset when I learned of Chick-fil-a’s antigay policies, I’d been eating there for years and their food was so tasty
http://www.facebook.com/people/Jk-Bellucci/612536835 J.k. Bellucci

see, I have a problem with this. I don’t think the mayor should be “making it very very difficult for them to get permits and such” is fair in the nature of business. Politics and business should be separate. After all, isn’t that EXACTLY what the “occupy” movement was trying say for the most part. Well, you can’t have it both ways, politics out of government means exactly that and therefore should not be allowed just because it suits our desires or when it’s convenient for us. If people are unhappy with Chick-fil-A’s policies and practices, don’t eat there, it’s that simple, yeah I know, they make an amazing chicken sandwich but ultimately the choice is ours, and we cannot ask or applaud the government for intervention/interference because we don’t have the will power to not stuff our fat glutinous asses with the super tasty chicken
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=505763741 Alexandra Wood

Yay for Mumbles! I’m proud to be from a state where we do not stand for discrimination.
Todd Walton

Seems kind of un-American to use your government power to influence people’s personal beliefs. When I said Chick-fil-a are jerks I didn’t mean that they didn’t have a right to be. The mayor has a duty to impartially promote the public’s well-being. Elected officials aren’t supposed to let their personal beliefs affect their decisions on the job. What if it were 20 years ago and he were making the same statements against a company because they *supported* LGBT rights? No thanks, mayor.

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