Burger King mocked Chick-fil-A on social media, announcing that for every Ch'King chicken sandwich sold in June, it will donate 40 cents to the Human Rights Campaign, America's biggest LGBTQ civil rights group.
According to Faithwire, Burger King made the announcement after The Daily Beast published a report citing Chick-fil-A as among those donating to the National Christian Charitable Foundation, a non-profit organization that gives financial resources to other groups, such as the Alliance Defending Freedom which opposes the Biden administration's Equality Act.
"The NCF's list of high-dollar donors includes some of the country's richest and most powerful families. Among them: Betsy DeVos' eponymous family foundation, as well as the private foundations of the Anschutz oil dynasty, the late Republican megadonor Foster Friess, Hobby Lobby, and Dan Cathy, the billionaire owner of Chick-fil-A, the six-days-a-week fast-food chain, which promised to stop donating to anti-LGBT causes last year," reads the report.
Burger King said it will continue to donate "even on Sunday," adding the eyes emoji in an apparent jab at Chick-fil-A in the tweet. Under Christian ownership, Chick-fil-A closes its stores on Sundays.
Burger King is one of thousands of companies offering promotions in honor of Pride Month.
What's the deal with the mockery
Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy, according to CNN, said in 2012 that the company supports "the biblical definition of the family unit." Cathy restated his opinion on same-sex marriage in a 2018 interview with a local Atlanta TV station.
However, there had been some changes over time.
Chick-fil-A, for example, made significant adjustments to its charity foundation in 2019, discontinuing payments to the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, both of which have been accused of being anti-LGBTQ+.
According to a June 2020 fact check by USA TODAY, Chick-fil-A did not recently give $1.8 million to any anti-LGBTQ organizations. The donations in issue were made in 2018 and are supported by tax papers from the corporation.
Also, in an email statement to USA TODAY, a Burger King representative stated, "This is a community we love dearly and have proudly supported over the years, so we couldn't miss an opportunity to take action and help shine a light on the important conversation happening."
Some praised Burger King for its support of LGBTQ rights, The Kansas City Star reports. Some of Burger King's followers said they couldn't wait to taste the new Ch'King sandwich, which debuted on June 3 throughout the country.
Burger King and Women's Day
On International Women's Day, Burger King was chastised for a tweet that said, "Women belong in the kitchen," reports USA Today. The food corporation intended to draw attention to gender disparities in the restaurant business, but it backfired.
Because of "abusive comments," Burger King UK reportedly took down the tweet followed by an apology.
Fast Food Chain Wars
The Atlanta-based diner Chick-fil-A was awarded America's favorite fast food in 2020 for the sixth year in a row by the American Consumer Satisfaction Index, noted Faithwire. Burger King, on the other hand, was placed No. 12 in the rankings. It remains to be seen how the pro-LGBT burger store will do well in comparison to the number 1 chain in the country.
