American fast-food chain Chick-fil-A has announced plans to open a new restaurant in Belfast, marking its first venture in Northern Ireland. The announcement was met with mixed reactions, largely due to the company’s controversial past of donating to organizations with anti-LGBTQ+ attitudes.

Over the years, Chick-fil-A has faced widespread criticism and boycotts for its financial support of groups that promote conservative Christian values ​​and oppose LGBTQ+ rights.

In 2009 alone, Chick-fil-A donated over $1.7 million to several such organizations. The largest contribution, $994,199, went to the Marriage & Family Legacy Fund, a group that advocates for traditional marriage. The Fellowship of Christian Athletes, which enforces a “sexual purity” policy that condemns “homosexual acts,” received $480,000. Another $240,000 went to the National Christian Foundation, while Focus on the Family, known for its opposition to LGBTQ+ rights, received $12,500.

The controversy surrounding the company’s donations continued in the years that followed. In 2017, the Chick-fil-A Foundation donated $1.8 million to three organizations with an anti-LGBTQ+ stance. The Fellowship of Christian Athletes received the majority of the funds, $1,653,416, allowing it to continue its policy of banning “homosexual acts.”

Another $150,000 went to the Salvation Army, an organization with a complicated history regarding its stance on LGBTQ+ issues. Additionally, $6,000 was donated to the Paul Anderson Youth Home, a residential facility for troubled boys that teaches that homosexuality is wrong and calls same-sex marriage “anger against Jesus Christ and his values.”

Despite the backlash, the company’s latest foray into Northern Ireland has been welcomed by some, including DUP MP and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly.

Chick-fil-A opens in Northern Ireland! 😀

It’s been great working with the company and to receive confirmation this morning that Northern Ireland is part of the first wave of UK restaurants 🍗🐔 pic.twitter.com/4GO4YYAcAm

— Emma Little-Pengelly BL (@little_pengelly) 25 September 2024

Chick-fil-A, which currently operates over 3,000 restaurants in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, is opening in Belfast as part of a broader strategy to enter the British and Northern Irish markets. The chain previously announced plans to invest over $100 million over the next decade as part of its expansion efforts in the UK, but the exact location of the Belfast restaurant has yet to be confirmed.

The company’s presence in the Northern Irish capital is likely to spark renewed debate about its past donations and stance on LGBTQ+ rights as it continues its efforts to expand outside the US.

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