Chick-fil-A Donated $1.8 Million to Anti-LGBTQ+ Groups in 2017

Chick-fil-A is serving up more than just poultry.

The Georgia-based fast-food chain, which has claimed in the past that is has no social or political agenda, has donated more than $1.8 million to a trio of groups who have records of anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination, according to newly released tax filings, ThinkProgress reports.

The company's 2017 tax filings show that the company gave over $1.6 million to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, $6,000 to the Paul Anderson Youth Home and $150,000 to the Salvation Army, each of which is an increased donation from the previous year.

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is a Christian sports ministry that requires strict "sexual purity" and bars its employees from any "homosexual acts." Paul Anderson Youth Home is a Georgia-based Christian residential home for troubled youth that, according to Think Progress, teaches those living there that homosexuality is wrong and that same-sex marriage is "rage against Jesus Christ and His values." Though the Salvation Army claims that it does not discriminate against LGBTQ+ people, it has a history of referring LGBTQ+ people to conversion therapy.

Chick-fil-A does not have a nondiscrimination policy that includes explicit protection for employees based on gender identity or sexual orientation. In 2012, Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy said that America is "inviting God's judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at him and say we know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage."

The company has claimed in the past that it would stay out of politics and focus on chicken and that they would cease donations to anti-LGBTQ+ groups. In a comment to ThinkProgress, Chick-Fil-A said that the company decided to no longer donate to Paul Anderson Youth Home after 2017.

"In 2017, a decision was made by the Chick-fil-A Foundation to no longer donate to the group after a blog post from 2010 surfaced that does not meet Chick-fil-A's commitment to creating a welcoming environment to all," the company said in a statement.

Chick-fil-A explained that its $1.6 million donation to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes was to support its summer sports camps and children's programs, saying "our giving has always focused on youth and education."

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