San Antonio’s recent decision to kick Chick-Fil-A out of the city’s airport due to the restaurant chain owner’s conservative beliefs appears to have backfired.
The city is not only under investigation by federal authorities, but is also facing formidable opposition from Texas Governor Greg Abbot. Gov. Abbot recently signed legislation that would make it illegal for other cities to follow in San Antonio’s footsteps, making it clear that local officials cannot discriminate against a business simply because it doesn’t like the business owner’s political views.
Gov. Abbot’s signing of SB 1978 makes it illegal for city officials to discriminate against a company due to the “values” the company is perceived to hold. Naturally, Democratic Texas lawmakers and LGBTQ groups vehemently opposed the bill, stating that it would promote discrimination. The accusation seems ironic given the fact that liberal lawmakers are the ones discriminating against a conservative company. Democrats and LGBTQ activists seemed to feel that forcing the government to provide equal opportunities to all businesses is on par with telling the government to discriminate against people that it doesn’t like.
Opponents went hysterical over the introduction of the bill, offering emotional testimony and later telling journalists that the bill promoted hate, and would send a message that Texas is not welcoming of people who hold non-conservative views.
An obvious fact that many liberal opponents of the bill don’t want to see is that Chick-Fil-A does not discriminate against customers or employees. There is no record of the company refusing to hire a gay or transgender employee, nor is there any record of the company refusing to serve guests due to religion, skin color, gender, sexual preference or any other criteria.
The only “discrimination” that Chick-Fil-A has engaged in is choosing to donate its hard-earned cash solely to conservative organizations such as the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Another, unrelated fact that most opponents of the bill are failing to recognize is that, by attempting to hurt a business that they don’t like, they are actually hurting the entire community.
Discrimination against a business on religious grounds is still illegal in the United States, and the exclusion of Chick-Fil-A from San Antonio’s airport has kickstarted a federal investigation that could result in the airport losing access to federal grants for airport facilities. Should the grant money become unavailable, it won’t be just conservative travelers who suffer; LGBTQ and other liberal travelers will lose out as well — everyone loses.
While Gov. Abbot’s signature of the “Save Chick-Fil-A” bill is certainly laudable, it is sad that such a bill would be needed. Like Texas’ recent bill allowing kids to set up a lemonade stand on the sidewalk without police harassment, it covers an issue that people with a bit of common sense should be able to handle on their own. Unfortunately, progressives who claim to embrace “diversity” and “tolerance” are proving themselves to be some of the most intolerant, hateful people in the nation.
Chick-Fil-A isn’t the only business that found itself on the wrong side of political correctness.
Democrats in California called for a boycott on a popular burger joint in the state last year just because the burger joint in question donated money to the state’s Republican Party. Gibson’s Bakery, which was discriminated against by Oberlin College over false reports that the bakery had engaged in racist behavior, had to take the college to court in order to get the situation rectified.
