LGBTQ* News You Might Have Missed
(Following from ABC News)
Jim Henson’s Muppets Split With Chick-Fil-A Over Gay Rights
Customers going to Chick-fil-A in search of a Muppets-inspired toy along with their Chick-n-Strips will be greatly disappointed. The toys are no more. The Jim Henson Company, founded by the creator of The Muppets, has severed all ties with Chick-fil-A and announced on its Facebook page that “we do not wish to partner with them on any future endeavors.”
The Jim Henson Company had formed a partnership with Chick-fil-A at the beginning of summer in order to feature Jim Henson’s Creature Shop toys in kids’ meals from July until Aug. 18. Then, Chick-fil-A’s president, Dan McCarthy, announced his support of Christian organizations that oppose gay marriage.
In an interview with The Baptist Press earlier this month, McCarthy was upfront: “We are very much supportive of the family — the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that,” said McCarthy.
A report from the LGBT advocacy group Equality Matters said that Chick-fil-A donated more than $3 million from 2003 to 2009 to Christian groups that oppose homosexuality. The company then escalated its donations, giving $2 million to such causes in 2010 alone, according to Equality Matters.
On its Facebook page, The Jim Henson Company mentions its CEO, Lisa Henson, as a “strong supporter of gay marriage.”
I knew there was a reason why the Muppets were awesome. This isn’t the reason, but that’s at least 2 reasons why they’re awesome now.
