(LifeSiteNews) — Christian fast food icon Chick-fil-A is back in the news over its public declaration of support for “embedding Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in everything we do,” which critics say is the latest in the company’s departure from the moral values that once had conservatives embracing it as a refuge from the ideological conformity of the rest of corporate America.
Chick-fil-A’s “Who We Are” page opens with a quote from the company’s late founder, S. Truett Cathy, that it “should be about more than just selling chicken. We should be a part of our customers’ lives and the communities in which we serve,” followed by an explanation for why the chain is closed on Sundays and a declaration that its corporate purpose is to “glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us and to have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.”
However, just below that is a statement that “‘We are better together’ – one of our core values at Chick-fil-A – means when we combine our unique backgrounds and experiences with a culture of belonging, we can strengthen the quality of care we deliver. Chick-fil-A, Inc.’s commitment to being Better at Together means embedding Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in everything we do.”
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) is pervasive shorthand across the corporate and academic worlds for a litany of identity-based grievances and social causes, commonly used to get businesses involved in an array of left-wing causes and ensure ideological conformity in hiring practices.
The Chick-fil-A declaration leads to a dedicated DEI page, which reveals that the company has a dedicated Vice President for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, Erick McReynolds, and discusses the company’s promotion of “equal opportunity through our processes and practices,” belief that “similarities and differences strengthen us as we unite around something bigger than ourselves,” and “inspir[ing] a community by meeting people where they are.”
The page goes on to detail the company’s efforts at “recruiting and hiring talent which represents the broadest definition of diversity enables Chick-fil-A,” scholarship program, establishment of community groups to foster employees’ “personal growth,” “the launch of several Supplier Diversity efforts, including an annual development forum,” and other charitable initiatives.
Near the bottom of the page, the company affirms that it does not “discriminate” or tolerate harassment on the basis of numerous identity factors, including “sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, [or] gender expression.”
While the page does not indicate support for specific radical causes, and the company does not celebrate LGBT “Pride” Month like many corporations, Chick-fil-A’s embrace of the DEI label and language has met with disapproval from former supporters of the company, Newsweek reports.
Everything good must come to an end. Here @ChickfilA is stating it’s commitment to systemic racism, sexism, and discrimination. I cannot support such a thing.https://t.co/Ucofcsfonr
— Wade Miller (@WadeMiller_USMC) May 30, 2023
Chick-fil-A is infected with DEI and it will only be a matter of time before that place falls in every way possible. pic.twitter.com/0Lg6NWcu90
— Brandon Morse (@TheBrandonMorse) May 30, 2023
Since 2012, LGBT activists had attempted to brand Chick-fil-A as “hateful” due to CEO Dan Cathy’s (Truett Cathy’s son) stated opposition to same-sex “marriage” and the company’s past donations to social conservative groups such as Family Research Council and Focus on the Family. But while the company has no shortage of detractors in politics and media, the company thrived with actual customers, with conservatives rallying around it in appreciation and solidarity.
Back then, Chick-fil-A and its defenders were able to rebuke charges of “anti-LGBT hate” by simply citing the absence of evidence that the company mistreated homosexual customers or employees without formally embracing “diversity” mantras.
In 2019, however, cracks in the company’s resolve started to show with revelations that it would cease donations to a handful of Christian charities that had been attacked as “anti-LGBT” because “we don’t want our intent and our work to be encumbered by someone else’s politics or cultural war,” and that it had donated to several “progressive” and pro-LGBT organizations, including the far-left Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and the ostensibly-Catholic youth homeless shelter Covenant House, the latter of which supported “Drag Queen Story Hour” events in which cross-dressers promote gender fluid ideology to children.
A year later, amid the Black Lives Matter riots of 2020, Cathy alarmed Chick-fil-A’s conservative and traditional patrons yet again by suggesting that White Americans bear collective guilt for racial injustice and needed a “sense of empathy” for those burning down businesses.
Chick-Fil-A CEO:
White People Should Shine Blacks’ Shoes to Show ‘Sense of Shame,’ ‘Embarrassment’ for Racism pic.twitter.com/A2Utbc0a2t
— Gabe Hoffman (@GabeHoff) June 18, 2020
It remains to be seen whether Chick-fil-A’s embrace of “Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion” is a rhetorical compromise to appease critics or indicates a deeper change of direction is in store.