Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has said that a New York bill that would prohibit Chick-fil-A and other companies from keeping some of their stores closed on Sundays is an un-American move against religious freedom.
“This is war,” Mr. Graham said in a Dec. 22 X post while responding to the state bill.
“If this goes forward, I will be introducing legislation withholding federal funds from any city or state that requires @ChickfilA to stay open on Sunday,” Mr. Graham wrote online. “The founders of Chick-fil-A made a decision early on to close on Sunday, consistent with their faith. For any government to try to reverse this decision flies in the face of who we are as Americans.”
Convenience for Travelers
According to a memo explaining the reason for the bill, introduced by Democrat Assemblyman Tony Simone, the purpose of the measure is to “ensure that New York State’s transportation facilities offer a reliable source of food services.”The bill noted that the New York State Thruway is currently rebuilding 27 service areas and that the traveling public rely on such services to “rest, refuel, and to purchase food and beverages.”
“While there is nothing objectionable about a fast food restaurant closing on a particular day of the week, service areas dedicated to travelers is an inappropriate location for such a restaurant,” the summary says. “Publicly owned service areas should use their space to maximally benefit the public. Allowing for retail space to go unused one-seventh of the week or more is a disservice and unnecessary inconvenience to travelers who rely on these service areas.”
The bill would come into effect on the 30th day after being signed into law and would only be applicable to contracts that are “entered into on and after such date.” As such, the new rules are not expected to affect Chick-fil-A locations that are already operational.
Mr. Graham noted that “Chick-fil-A is a great company with thousands of locations serving the public with a quality product and taking care of their employees. New York is off base and their actions will not go unanswered.”
Religious Discrimination
The Rest Stop Restaurant Act has triggered strong negative reactions online, with some critics suggesting that the bill targets Christians.“Liberals hate Christianity so much they want to make it illegal for Chick-fil-A to be closed on Sundays to provide employees a day of rest,” Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, said in a Dec. 19 X post.
Podcast host Keith Olbermann countered the argument, stating that the bill has “got nothing to do with religion.”
“This is about a contract for restaurants at New York State Thruway rest stops. They ALL have to be open 7 days a week. That’s the point,” he wrote.
Chick-fil-A’s founder donated to Christian organizations, some of which lobbied against same-sex marriages, thus making the brand a target of leftists.
Mr. Cathy once made a comment that he is “very much supportive of the family—the biblical definition of the family unit.”
In 2012, Chick-fil-A decided to steer away from controversies and issued a statement saying, “Going forward, our intent is to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena.”
Later in 2019, LGBT activists in Toronto protested against a new outlet of the brand, with some chanting “Hey hey, ho-ho, homophobia’s got to go!”
The ban followed a report revealing that the company donated almost $2 million to the Salvation Army, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and the Paul Anderson Youth Home, three organizations that the report claimed discriminated against individuals identifying as LGBT.
The city council’s action triggered a massive backlash, with some accusing religious discrimination.
