WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Gay rights activists and backers of same-sex marriage held "kiss-ins" at Chick-fil-A restaurants across the United States on Friday to protest the fast-food chain president's opposition to homosexual unions.
Same Sex Kiss Day is a reaction to comments last month from Dan Cathy, who said he supported "the biblical definition of the family unit" and that backers of gay marriage were "arrogant."
Carly McGehee, a Dallas political activist who came up with the idea of the kiss-in, said more than 15,000 people said they would join the protest since she posted an announcement on her Facebook page on July 19.
Cathy's company "is continuously supporting hate and bigotry and intolerance," said McGehee, 24.
More than 20 protesters gathered at one of the fast-food restaurants in Decatur, Georgia, an Atlanta suburb, where Mark Toomajian kissed his partner, Jim Fortier, 58, for the cameras.
"It's a human rights issue, it's not a First Amendment issue," said Toomajian, 41, as protesters held signs playing off Chick-fil-A's advertising campaign. "Eat More Justice," read one sign.
The protest was organized by Marci Alt, 48, of Atlanta, who has an online petition calling for Cathy to come to her home for dinner with her partner of 12 years and their two children. Alt said she has not received a reply from Cathy.
Steve Robinson, a Chick-fil-A spokesman, said in a statement about the "kiss-in" that the chain's goal was "to provide great food, genuine hospitality and to have a positive influence on all who come into contact with Chick-fil-A."
At a bustling Arlington, Virginia, store there were no smooching protesters in sight as Sara Holtzman, 26, of Washington, emerged laden with Chick-fil-A bags.
"To me it makes no difference. They have really great chicken ... and he's entitled to his opinion," she said of Cathy's comments.
An anti-kiss in protester, Leroy Swailes, 61, of Oxon Hill, Maryland, said he had seen two same-sex couples - one male, one female - bussing inside the restaurant earlier.
"I'm a specialist. I've been doing this since the '60s, protesting homosexuals," said Swailes, who was dressed in clerical garb with a T-shirt over it with lettering that said "The Resurrection of Sodom and Gommorah."
Customers who backed Cathy's stance swamped Chick-fil-A outlets on Wednesday, giving the 1,600-store chain - known for chicken sandwiches, waffle fries and being closed on Sundays - a "record-setting day," a spokesman said on Thursday.
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) says Cathy's stance goes beyond opposition to same-sex marriage, with Chick-fil-A financially backing groups that are anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.
A restaurant in the Los Angeles suburb of Torrance was sprayed overnight with graffiti that read: "Tastes Like Hate," with a picture of a cow next to it. Police were investigating.
(Reporting by Chris Francescani and Paul Thomasch in New York, Ian Simpson in Washington, Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles and David Beasley in Decatur; Editing by Vicki Allen)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/chick-fil-faces-kiss-protest-gay-marriage-flap-152101769.html
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