Fast Food

Fed Soc Chapter Offers Chick-fil-A At Gay Marriage Event With Disastrous Results

Chick-fil-A: because it tastes like hate.

By Staci Zaretsky on September 23, 2014 11:38 am

One student offered up the opening salvo thusly, prompting others to forward it to us repeatedly:

As tired as I am of having my rights challenged and up for debate, I am all about conversations and discussions. I look forward to the day when this topic is as inappropriate as a panel on the legitimacy of marriage between those of different races, but I’m willing to be patient.

I am all about free market economy and supporting companies that share your values.

Still, I feel like serving Chick-fil-a is an extremely inappropriate and insensitive decision on behalf of the Federalist Society.

I’m disappointed.

Hope your event goes well. I will not be attending.

Next up, someone decided to send out this email, which was trying to be parodic in nature:

That graphic imagery inspired law students to respond with the following messages:

  • That’s arguably the most uncharitable (and, of course, inaccurate) interpretation to use as the basis of a parody (or a reductio).
  • Ahh, Northwestern. Where striving for diversity does not include political ideologies, apparently.
  • No. That was a tasteless and unfitting joke. That’s not “diversity.”
  • Someone should apologize for this so-called “diversity”, so disrespectful.
  • Why [does] NU law school has to tolerate such behavior?
  • Agree that humor should have boundaries…
  • C’mon, you guys, FedSoc is having an event on why same-sex marriage is wrong/bad, and the food is coming from….Chick-fil-a. Chick-fil-a….think about it for a second.

You really should think about it, perhaps for more than just a second.

Various student organizations decided to enter the fray, with some even calling for protests. Most student organizations, though, just wanted everyone to know that they support marriage equality, and think Chick-fil-A tastes like hate. One student organization even went to far as to coin the term “hate chicken.”

A coalition of student organizations at Northwestern Law, including OUTLaw, DivCo, ACS, BLSA, LLSA, and NU Dems, highly encourages students to attend tomorrow’s FedSoc function in RB180 on marriage equality. Dialogue and discussion on the marriage equality issue are welcome, especially as the anti-equality movement (as exemplified by the FedSoc’s speaker, Ryan Anderson) continues to find itself in the minority. A pro-equality message, one that Northwestern Law aims to exemplify, should be heard at the event.

In the spirit of showing that our campus is open and inclusive of all students, we recommend:

1. Wear purple to the event tomorrow. Purple is a traditional color of the LGBTQ rights movement. OUTLaw will be at the event with extra OUTLaw shirts (that are purple) that will be available either to wear temporarily at the event or to purchase for $10, with all proceeds supporting OUTLaw. As supplies (and sizes) are very limited, you are encouraged to wear your own purple garb.

2. Do not eat the provided Chick-fil-A (see Alternative Food Table, below). FedSoc’s choice of food is a personal affront to many LGBTQ students and is considered highly offensive to many in the broader community.

Chick-fil-A actively and financially supported organizations finding a “cure” for gays and proposing Holocaust revisionist theories;
Chick-fil-A actively and financially supported lobby groups trying to pass the “Kill the Gays” bill in Uganda, which advocates for imprisonment and murder of homosexuals;
Chick-fil-A’s “charitable” arm has given millions to anti-gay organizations, and when questioned on the company’s anti-gay stances, the company spokesperson responded, “We’re guilty as charged.”
More info on the history of Chick-fil-A’s anti-gay operations can be found here.

3. Our coalition will provide an Alternative Food Table during the noon hour. Details are still being finalized on what food will be offered. OUTLaw shirts will be available at the Alternative Food Table.

4. The Alternative Food Table will also act as a “safe space” during the event for students who may feel uncomfortable, upset, or attacked by statements that are made by the panel or audience members.

5. The coalition has arranged for a Postscript Event to be held at 4pm tomorrow in Booth Hall. The event will be open to everyone from all sides of the debate, but it will still be a created “safe space” for students to vent, talk, or connect otherwise. Copious amounts of refreshments (drinks, snacks, desserts) will be provided.

We hope to see you at the event tomorrow. But more importantly, we hope to see you continuing to fight on the right side of history.

Thank you,

OUTLaw (NU’s LGBTQ Student Association), DivCo (NU Diversity Coalition), ACS (American Constitution Society), BLSA (Black Law Students Association), LLSA (Latino Law Students Association), and NU Dems (NU Law Democrats)

Don’t worry if your student group wasn’t able to join the coalition in time — that’s what the listserv is for:

  • SALSA stands with this coalition of student organizations, and is committed to promoting a message of diversity, inclusion and equality at Northwestern.
  • NUHRP supports equality as well!
  • The WLC embraces and encourages respect and tolerance among members of different communities. We recognize the need for dialogue surrounding these issues and support other student organizations’ efforts to promote discussion among NU students. The WLC supports those who choose to wear purple to tomorrow’s events and is committed to working alongside other organizations to continue promoting diversity and inclusion within our law school community.
  • APALSA is committed to diversity and inclusion at Northwestern and we also wholeheartedly support tomorrow’s pro-equality message.
  • I think it goes without saying that ACLU endorses this effort.
  • LSRJ is also on board with this.
  • NLG also endorses this effort.

Before you blame the entire executive board of Northwestern Law’s Fed Soc chapter, keep this in mind:

I know many of you are already following the ongoing FedSoc kerfuffle, but just wanted to make sure this email did not go unnoticed by any of our members. While APALSA was not included in the original coalition due to timing, we fully support the cause and encourage you to attend the event and/or the follow-up event to show solidarity.

However, please do not hold one poor decision by an E-Board composed of your peers against them. The Federalist Society puts together some of the best programming at Northwestern, exposing our student body to opinions that may fall a bit outside our mostly liberal law school comfort zone. I can’t say this about all of their Board members, but I do know a couple who were not involved in the decision-making process and are taken aback at how this event was put together. I ask you all not to judge any of them prematurely.

1Ls and LLMs: Welcome to law school, where many highly opinionated people sometimes disagree vehemently with one another!

Welcome to law school, indeed.

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