Adam J. Choit

Yup, it’s true.  By now most of you have heard the confirmation that Chick-fil-A, the fast food restaurant chain openly supports anti-gay groups and political agendas.  Chick-fil-A’s President Dan Cathy, told Baptist Press that the chain is “guilty as charged” in supporting the biblical definition of family.  I think we know what that means.  A report from LGBT advocacy group Equality Matters concluded that Chick-fil-A donated more than $3 million between 2003 and 2009 to Christian groups that (openly and actively) oppose homosexuality.

As far as I can follow, logic dictates that homosexuality is not something is to “be for”, or “opposed to.”  It just is — and is someone else’s sexual orientation.  Gay men and women all over the world are having sex right now.  Do people opposed to homosexuality feel like their rights are being infringed upon?  right at this very second?  If not right at this moment, then when?  You let me know.

Many people are (justifiably) coming out (no pun intended), condemning Mr. Fil-A.  People are Facebooking and Tweeting, “I’m never eating there again!”  But I’ve also seen posts that reflect my sentiments, “I’ve never eaten act Chick-fil-A but now I’m definitely not going there” …or something to that nature.

But I feel like me merely “continuing not to go to Mr. Fil-A’s restaurant” doesn’t really actively punish them for their open support of discrimination.  And while it’s not my duty to do so, sometimes going beyond a simple boycott is a good thing.

So, along with my previously-unknowingly, now-knowlingly boycott comes an encouragment.   I encourage any and all gay people to stop by your local Chick-fil-A for bit. Not to cause a scene, or to yell, or to even protest — at least not in the conventional way.  But I say hold hands.  Lovingly kiss nearby these little shithole fast food joints.  Just let them know what’s up.  I just think it’d be funny if there were gay people hanging out outside Chic-fil-A spots for some period of time, but not going inside to eat.

So pretend to be a customer.  Tease ‘em.  Just enough for the local employees to notice —just enough for them to report this nuisance up to corporate headquarters, to well, give them that much more to worry about these days, in addition to the media firestorm.

To reiterate, I’m NOT encouraging anyone to break laws, to be violent, or to be vulgar in any public setting.  But if you’re gay, and a fan of PDA’s (public displays of affection), and find yourself in the Atlanta area, Chick fil-A’s corporate headquarters is at 5200 Buffington Road Atlanta, GA 30349.

Yesterday at the Indians game, a fan actually entered the ballpark in Cleveland wearing a LeBron James Miami Heat jersey.  With Cavs fans and the city still reeling after LeBron’s heartbreaking and disappointing exit from town, perhaps this wasn’t the best decision to wear a Heat jersey at a Cleveland sports venue.  Indians fans chanted obscenities and pointed at this outcast in the crowd.  Fearing the situation could escalate, security escorted this fan out of the ballpark.

I mean, it’s okay for the crowd to give this guy a hard time, but they do NOT have the right to yell obscenities, threaten, or act violently towards a guy —– just for dressing in a certain way that they do not approve of.  This dude did NOT break any laws or rules.

However, lets look at the other side of the coin.   This guy knew he would be “playing with fire” by wearing this LeBron jersey.  In a sense, he had to expect bad stuff to happen to him.   What was he thinking when he left the house that day?  “People might not be happy with me, but they’ll behave with civility…The worst they’ll do is come up to me and say, ‘You’re not a nice person.’ “  Is this what went through his head?

The question isn’t who’s wrong, but it’s who’s MORE wrong.  And in my opinion, that’s the guy in the LeBron Heat jersey.

It’s okay to be the black sheep of a crowd for the purposes of making a statement.  But having said that, this dude should really pick and choose his battles more wisely.  That one person who wears a pro-gay t-shirt at an anti-gay rally is a brave person making an important statement.   Rosa Parks who refused to give up her seat on a bus full of white people was an inspiration…A guy wearing a Heat jersey at a Cavs game is just a douchebag.

I understand in our society that we have laws and rules, but there’s also something called street-smarts, also known as common sense or intelligence.

Just because something is immoral or illegal doesn’t mean humans are going to 100% comply all the time.  If you go out of your way to put yourself in harms way (whether you’re technically innocent or not), don’t act surprised when you bring out the most barbaric aspects of human nature around you.