Most Bob Jones students recognize the “Eat mor chikn!” billboards and know the company they represent, but does everyone know about the owner’s anti-LGBTQ+ opinions and about the donations of large sums of money to known anti-LGBTQ+ organizations?

In the student poll I conducted, more than half of the 60 students who responded knew about these donations. Despite this, the fast food restaurant is still popular, even among LGBTQ members and allies. I understand that people love the chicken, but maybe some of those consumers are accidentally giving money to organizations with which they don’t agree.

In 2012, Chick-Fil-A CEO Dan Cathy said that America is “inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at him and say we know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage.” When asked about his company’s Anti-LGBTQ positions, his response was “…guilty as charged.” This led to a boycott as well as the counter-boycott “Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day.” The company later apologized and said that they would “leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena.”

However, in the 2017 tax reports, ThinkProgress reported that they were still donating money to the same places. In fact, they donated more funds to those organizations than the previous year. According to The Chicken Wire, the Chick-Fil-A online newsletter, their donations were to organizations meant to help all, indiscriminately. One such organization is the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Admittedly, even our school benefits from partnerships with Chick Fil A, such as the BJ-JC Milkshake Wars this week. Should our school continue to partner with Chick Fil A?

With the onset of Chick-Fil-A versus Popeye’s war, I think it’s a good time to question more than just the quality of the chicken sandwich. On one side, we have what seems to be a sandwich good enough to rival Chick-Fil-A’s, without all the potential hate attached. On the other, we have a sandwich with a history of discrimination and hate. Consider letting that factor into your decision. For those diehard Chick Fil A fans, the next time you are ordering Chick-Fil-A, ask yourself, “Are you ordering chicken with a side of hate?”