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Chick-fil-A, the chicken sandwich chain long beloved by conservatives for its longstanding opposition to same-sex marriage, is sparking boycott calls after announcing that it has hired an executive in charge of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The Atlanta-based company named Erick McReynolds to the post of vice president of DEI two years ago, but social media users took note of it in recent days — igniting angry denunciations on Twitter from conservatives who allege that the firm has “gone woke.”
McReynolds has been employed by Chick-fil-A since 2007.
He was promoted to the position of vice president of DEI in November 2021, according to his LinkedIn page.
But the recent LGBTQ controversies involving brands such as Bud Light, Target, and Kohl’s have triggered scrutiny of other corporate actors.
Corporate America’s embrace of DEI, which seeks to diversify workforces, has been criticized by conservatives who claim that it is discriminatory based on race and gender.
“This is bad. Very bad. I don’t want to have to boycott. Are we going to have to boycott?” said conservative strategist Joey Mannarino.
Mannarino then posted an informal poll asking his 166,000 followers whether a boycott is in order.
As of late Tuesday afternoon, a little more than 47% of respondents voted in favor of a boycott while more than half — 52.4% — voted against it.
Mannarino linked to a page on Chick-fil-A’s site titled “Committed to being Better at Together.”
“Chick-fil-A, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity, equity, and inclusion,” the company said.
“We make employment decisions on a non-discriminatory basis and remain committed to maintaining work environments free from any form of harassment.”
The company added: “One of our core values at Chick-fil-A, Inc. is that we are better together.”
“When we combine our unique backgrounds and experiences with a culture of belonging, we can discover new ways to strengthen the quality of care we deliver: to customers, to the communities we serve, and to the world.”
The company site quoted McReynolds, who said he is “committed to ensuring mutual respect, understanding, and dignity everywhere we do business.”
“These tenets are good business practice and crucial to fulfilling our Corporate Purpose,” the newly named VP of DEI said.
Some Twitter users were outraged.
“I am hoping they will stand by their Christian values,” one Twitter user commented.
“As of today I will no longer be eating Chick-Fil-A,” wrote another Twitter user.
Chick-fil-A, which operates nearly 3,000 restaurants in the lower 48 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, has sought to moderate its politics in recent years in hopes of expanding its appeal beyond core supporters and consumers.
In 2019, the company stopped donating money to groups that were opposed to same-sex marriage.
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