Controversial Chick-fil-A President to Speak in North Fulton

Uproar over Dan T. Cathy’s statements on same sex marriage may simmer by late August, when he visits the North Fulton Chamber of Commerce but it surely won’t be forgotten.

Cathy, Dan T. Cathy, president and COO of Chick-fil-A, will speak at the Chamber’s Eggs & Enterprise Breakfast at 7:30 a.m., on Aug 28. The event is sponsored by Georgia Power.

Was it appropriate for Cathy to publicly express his views on gay marriage considering his customer base is so diverse?

, for saying he opposes gay marriage. Reaction has ranged from threats of boycott to creation of a Chick-Fil-A appreciation day.

A "CBS Morning News" report said critcs describe the restaurant's menu as having a "side order of bigotry." But some celebrities who support gay marriage say Cathy has a right to his opinion, and backlash perpetuates intolerance.  

In a , State Sen. John Albers said, “Perhaps it is time to take a cue from the time of our nation’s founders when dissenting viewpoints did not equal hate speech.” 

He added, “I applaud Chick-Fil-A’s willingness to remain true to their biblical worldview, and hope that others will follow their strong, family-owned business model.”

Brian Crawford, a commenter on Albers’ OP-Ed piece wrote, “…I quit patronizing them a few years back when a very hard working young lady came to work for me after leaving Chick-fil-A. She left the company because she felt discriminated against after becoming an un-wed mother.”

A gay employee at a Chick-fil-A franchise in Chicago, where the chain will be denied a permit for a second location, told CBS News, that she and other gay employees work in a welcomng environment.

What do you think? Tell us in the comments.

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