Protesters and patrons gather for Chick-fil-A opening in Kitchener

Holding a grand opening event on Saturday, Kitchener’s newly minted Chick-fil-A restaurant drew quite the crowd – with customers queued up along the sidewalk for a chance to taste the American fast-food franchise’s chicken.

Just a few steps away from those eager customers, a handful of demonstrators were spotted holding a “peaceful by passionate” protest, hoisting signs and waving pride and non-binary pride flags to raise awareness of the company’s “bad track record” for supporting and funding anti-2SLGBTQ+ organizations.

One of those demonstrators was Joan Arrow, a Kitchener resident and member of the local LGBTQ community. Moving here from Arizona to complete a degree at the University of Waterloo, Arrow said they were pleased to feel more accepted and safer upon moving to Canada from their home state – though the continued expansion of the Chick-fil-A franchise has them concerned for a spread of “anti-LGBTQ lobbying and rhetoric.”

“When I came to Canada, I came to a country that has civil rights for the LGBTQ community, then I see Chick-fil-A, a notoriously hateful organization that has funded anti-LGBTQ organizations supporting opposing marriage equality, gay conversion therapy (…) coming into my new community that I’ve finally found here in Canada and in Kitchener, bringing that same hateful agenda to Canada,” said Arrow.

“I had to come out to protest the spread of hate by Chick-fil-A.”

As shoppers left the new location offering drive-thru and carry-out services, the scene remained peaceful – with the occasional customer offering demonstrators a share of their meal or shouting their own support for the restaurant’s food. Arrow noted that the intent of the protest was not to antagonize or insult, but rather to wave the pride flag and “convey a simple message that Chick-fil-A is anti-gay.”

“Folks who are lining up have been stuck in lock down for a year. When you see a new place… people just want to try that out, and I don’t fault them for being curious,” said Arrow. “I’ve even engaged with some people in this line who joined in our chant, because they’re not here to spread hate. They’re here to eat chicken – and the fact that those two things are connected, in my mind, is a cardinal sin.”

According to Chick-fil-A Inc, the new Kitchener location is expected to employ up to 100 full and part time team members – as Arrow said they’re pleased to see more jobs, variety and support brought to the local community. They maintained, however, that Chick-fil-A still has a responsibility to “step up” and recognize the “decade plus of damage” they’ve done to the LGBTQ community, as they urged the company to commit to concrete action.

Issuing a call to action, Arrow also encouraged members of the LGBTQ community to “come out” – increasing representation either by attending events like Saturday's protest or by openly coming out to friends, family and coworkers. To the “white, cisgender community,” Arrow encouraged members to “find a gay friend,” and to get to know the community more closely.

“We're not all the same, but we have the same needs. We all have a basic need for safety, respect, and to be treated as equals – we're not asking for much,” said Arrow. “Anyone who had a friend like that… that knew someone in our community; I think it would be easier for them to understand than having someone waving a sign at them. At the end of the day, having that human connection is more effective than a thousand demonstrations.”

In a release sent to 570 NEWS, a Chick-fil-A spokesperson noted that the company is “proud to be represented by more than 200,000 diverse team members nationwide,” as they said that the restaurant strives to be a “positive influence” on the local community in donating US $25,000 to the Food Bank of Waterloo Region through its SharedTable program, aiming to aid in the fight against hunger.

“I’m happy for folks to do good in their communities, but that’s a different issue,” said Arrow. “The issue today is LGBTQ rights, and the bad track record this company has with those rights – and I think it’s interesting they’re choosing not to address that problem head on.”

“If they’re really ready to give to the community, they know what they need to do.”

Offering their own statement, Operator of Chick-fil-A Kitchener Olivia Efford said that everyone is welcome at Chick-fil-A Kitchener, as she said that the location “respects people’s right to share their opinions.”

“We’re excited to serve Kitchener-Waterloo residents and hope they enjoy their first experience with our great tasting food and remarkable service.”

Waterloo Region's Rainbow Community Space, Spectrum, has since released a statement regarding the restaurant's opening in Kitchener as well – expressing “significant concerns” with the company's financial support of “anti-2SLGBTQ+ organizations”. Making specific reference to Chick-fil-A's CEO and their ties to the National Christian Charitable Foundation, Spectrum argued that the organization is “currently engaged in a campaign against a 2SLGBTQ+ equal rights bill in the United States”, advocating for anti-2SLGBTQ+ bills for decades. 

You can read Spectrum's full statement here. 

Protestors and customers gather for the grand opening of a new Chick-fil-A location on Fairway Road in Kitchener.

Hosting a “peaceful but passionate” protest, demonstrators are voicing disapproval to the company’s alleged “long history of homophobia and transphobia” @570NEWS pic.twitter.com/4WpfZKcPMP

— Luke Schulz (@lukeontheradio) August 7, 2021