Unlike many pro-gay-marriage activists who have been boycotting Chick-fil-A, President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign Obama for America has spent money at the restaurant chain.
Obama famously came out in support of gay marriage in May, enjoying a surge in campaign donations post-announcement.
But in 2011 activists at ThinkProgress, Equity Matters, and other outlets pinpointed Chick-fil-A as a multimillion-dollar donor to anti-gay marriage causes through its charitable foundation arm.
While gay activists have staged boycotts of the chain since then, expenditure records at Political Moneyline show that on June 29, 2012 Obama for America spent $62 at Chick-fil-A in Atlanta, Ga.
While the money the campaign spent is pittance in comparison to Obama’s overall re-election expenditures, it clashes with the president’s recent endorsement of gay marriage and Chick-fil-A’s foray into the gay marriage debate.
This month, Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy ignited a bigger firestorm of criticism and additional boycotts — and cheers from supporters of traditional marriage — when he confirmed to the Baptist Press that the Atlanta-based company was “guilty as charged” in its support of traditional marriage.
“We are very much supportive of the family — the biblical definition of the family unit,” Cathy said. “We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that.”
Despite the Obama campaign dollars that went to Chick-fil-a, on Thursday Boston Democratic Mayor Thomas Menino vowed to keep the eatery out of his city.
“Chick-fil-A doesn’t belong in Boston,” Menino told the Boston Herald. “You can’t have a business in the city of Boston that discriminates against a population. We’re an open city, we’re a city that’s at the forefront of inclusion.”
Chick-fil-A contends that is does not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.
“The Chick-fil-A culture and service tradition in our restaurants is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect — regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender,” a statement from the restaurant chain, said according to the Associated Press. “Going forward, our intent is to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena.”
Romney for President Inc. has spent over $500 at Chick-fil-A this election cycle.
The Obama campaign did not respond to request for comment.