Yet another Chick-fil-A restaurant has been barred from trading on account of its alleged “anti-LGBT rhetoric.” Buffalo Niagara International Airport cut all ties with the fast-food chain, despite that it was factored into the original plans for a full renovation of the airport facility.
Assemblyman Sean Ryan (D) took to Twitter March 29 to condemn hospitality company, Delaware North and the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA), for granting Chick-fil-A permission to set up shop in the New York airport.
“I strongly urge the NFTA to reverse this decision,” the Democrat wrote. “I don’t believe the leadership of the NFTA intends to help spread hate and discrimination, but allowing a corporation like Chick-fil-A to do business at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport will help to fund continued divisive anti-LGBTQ rhetoric. New York is a welcoming state that celebrates diversity.”
I'm disappointed in the @NFTA decision to bring a Chick-fil-A to the @BUFAirport. pic.twitter.com/zP0oIUOz3q
— Assemblyman Sean Ryan (@SeanMRyan149) March 29, 2019
When the decision was reversed, Ryan tweeted an update, writing, “I applaud the decision that has been made to remove Chick-fil-A from plans for the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. Thank you to everyone who reached out to share their opinion.”
“We hope in the future the NFTA will make every effort to contract with businesses that adhere to anti-discrimination policies, and we’re confident another vendor who better represents the values of the Western New York community will replace Chick-fil-A as a part of this project in the very near future,” he added.
It is unclear at this time what company will take Chick-fil-A’s place inside the airport.
This isn’t the first incident of the fast-food chain being stripped of business opportunities. Just last week, administrators with the San Antonio City Council rejected a potential Chick-fil-A location at the San Antonio International Airport, citing the Atlanta-based chain’s “legacy of anti-LGBTQ behavior.”
The controversy has become so prominent that even a presidential candidate has now weighed in. Pete Buttigieg, who is running for the 2020 Democratic nomination, has said he’d be open to brokering a “peace deal” between Chick-fil-A and those who disagree with the restaurant CEO’s views on marriage.
Inaccurate narrative
Following the decision to pull Chick-fil-A from Buffalo, a spokesperson for the chain said that recent reports “continue to drive an inaccurate narrative about our brand.”
“We do not have a political or social agenda or discriminate against any group. More than 145,000 people from different backgrounds and beliefs represent the Chick-fil-A brand,” they told WKBW-TV. “We embrace all people, regardless of religion, race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity.”