Angry at Chick-fil-A? University art contest helps students cope

FPI / February 25, 2020

Some say the best way to offend a leftist is to eat at Chick-fil-A.

Students at the University of Kansas are getting a chance to test that theory.

After the popular fast-food chain had the downright audacity to open a restaurant on the KU campus in Lawrence, students were invited to express their “alienation and anger” via an art contest.

The KU Sexuality and Gender Diversity Faculty & Staff Council (SGDFS) and the Department of Visual Art are hosting the contest in March.

“In light of the controversy over the installation of Chick-fil-A in the Kansas memorial union, the SGDFS council would like to open up a campus conversation about the meaning of the brand” flyers announcing the contest said, according to a report by Campus Reform.

The "guiding theme" of the contest is “But the chickens good...?” and both undergraduate and graduate students are invited to submit submissions that “explore...what the presence of Chick-fil-A on campus signifies to them.” The flyer also advertises prizes.

The promotional flyer notes that “Some members of KU’s community have felt alienation and anger over the University's financial investment in a company whose owner has expressed virulent homophobic views; others cite allegiance to the food’s tastiness or the lack of other inexpensive options.”

In a letter to the school, the SGDFS accused the fast-food company of discrimination toward the LGBTQ community. The letter said that the highly visible Chick-fil-A on campus could harm the "physical, emotional, and mental well being of marginalized and LGBTQ people."

Chick-fil-A, based in Atlanta, is known for its Judeo-Christian values, most notably being closed on Sunday.

According to recent media reports, all of the bans and boycotts have not stalled Chick-fil-A's sales. In fact, the fast-food chain's sales have more than doubled since 2012, the same year the company's founder first publicly expressed his personal belief in the biblical definition of marriage.

In 2012, Chick-fil-A's sales were $4.6 billion, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. In 2018, the company's sales were $10.46 billion.

Free Press International