Students at Duquesne University “fear” that putting a Chick-fil-A on campus would jeopardize the “safe place” on campus for gay and transgender students.
The Duquesne Duke reports that at a March 26 student government meeting, student senator Niko Martini asked the student government to consider a resolution requesting the university “reconsider” adding a Chick-fil-A on campus.
While the resolution was not adopted, the student government agreed to discuss the concerns surrounding Chick-fil-A at a later meeting, set for April 9.
The major opponents of the on-campus Chick-fil-A appear to belong to the campus LGBTQ+ organization Lambda, which was recently revived after years of absence.
Martini, who currently serves on the executive board of Lambda, told the Duke, “Chick-fil-A has a questionable history on civil rights and human rights.”
“I think it’s imperative the university chooses to do business with organizations that coincide with the [university’s] mission and expectations they give students regarding diversity and inclusion," Martini added.
The president of Lambda, Rachel Coury, said the inclusion of a Chick-fil-A on campus would threaten student safety.
She said, “I’ve tried very hard within the last semester and a half to promote this safe environment for the LGBTQ+ community. So I fear that with the Chick-fil-A being in Options that maybe people will feel that safe place is at risk.”
The faculty advisor for Lambda, Alia Pustorino-Clevenger, who also serves as the university’s director for student life assessment and co-curricular community engagement, said the school has been meeting with Lambda to discuss “concerns” over Chick-fil-A’s position of gay issues.
Duquesne spokeswoman Bridget Fare tried to dispel the notion that Chick-fil-A is an anti-gay corporation.
Fare told the Duke Chick-fil-A has confirmed they “do not discriminate” on any basis, including sexual orientation.
Fare added, “Chick-Fil-A informed the University that they ceased giving to Focus on the Family and Exodus International several years ago and have eliminated corporate donations and established a foundation with focuses on youth and education.”
In 2012, Chick-fil-A was boycotted after president Dan Cathy said he was “very much supportive of the family.”
Tax filings from 2012 reportedly show that Chick-fil-A stopped donating to organizations described as “anti-gay,” such as the Marriage & Family Foundation and the National Christian Foundation.
After the Orlando terrorist attack, which killed 49 in a targeted attack against the gay community by an Islamic terrorism, Chick-fil-A even opened its doors on Sunday to provide food to people donating blood in the wake of the attack.
Student governments at schools across the country, including Johns Hopkins and the University of Nebraska, have petitioned their schools to ban Chick-fil-A because of the corporation’s allegedly “anti-gay” views.
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