So Much for First Lady’s Anti-Bullying Campaign
Donald Trump Jr. has decided that LGBT college students in Pittsburgh shouldn’t feel betrayed or attacked, or affected in any way now that Duquesne University has decided to allow a Chick-fil-A on campus. As most Americans know, the purveyor of chicken fast food has a long and ugly history of donating millions to anti-gay organizations as its corporate leaders, the Cathy family, have made offensive comments against same-sex marriage.Â
For some LGBT people, Chick-fil-A stands as the corporate embodiment of anti-LGBT hate and oppression. For Donald Trump Jr., a white man born into extreme privilege and wealth who likely has never experienced any discrimination, much less the painful discrimination millions of LGBT people have been subjected to, these students are worthy of his scorn and mockery.
“Luckily these students wont [sic] likely have to tackle issues more stressful than a yummy chicken sandwich in their lives… Oh Wait #triggered,” he tweeted Thursday morning.
Trump linked to an article in the far right wing website founded by Tucker Carlson, The Daily Caller, “University’s LGBT Students ‘Fear’ Arrival Of Chick-fil-A,” written by David Krayden.
“It’s not about the chicken sandwiches but the fact that the corporation had the temerity to support traditional marriage during the same-sex marriage debate,” Krayden falsely claims.
Let’s be very clear about Chick-fil-A’s vile past.
“Chick-fil-A has donated at least $5 million to organizations (including a certified hate group) that, among other things, depict gay people as pedophiles, want to make ‘gay behavior’ illegal, and even say gay people should be ‘exported‘ out of America,” I wrote in a 2012 article for The Huffington Post about Chick-fil-A.
Right wing religious conservatives frequently frame the “debate” over marriage equality as just different opinions, and claim their hate-filled attacks on LGBT people and our families are just support for “traditional marriage.” That’s how they framed the comments of Chick-fil-A’s leader, Dan Cathy. And that would be false.
“Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy didn’t merely say he supports traditional marriage. Dan Cathy said if you support gay marriage, you ‘are inviting God’s judgment on our nation,’ and that we ‘shake our fist at Him’ when we do. Dan Cathy also said same-sex marriage is the result of a ‘deprived’ mind and called it ‘twisted up kind of stuff.'”
Imagine if the CEO of McDonald’s, or Burger King, or Wendy’s said “traditional marriage is the result of a deprived mind and it’s twisted up kind of stuff.” Of course they never would, but imagine how most Americans, including LGBT people would feel.
“Chick-fil-A supports organizations that have claimed they can change gay people into straight people — ‘pray away the gay‘ — despite the fact that practically every major medical organization has stated that this is not only impossible but dangerous and harmful.”
Chick-fil-A has reportedly made changes and says they no longer contribute to anti-LGBT organizations or to groups that support them. NCRM has not verified those claims.
It’s important to note also that LGBT students are far more likely to be raped, bullied, and attacked, attempt or complete suicide, and suffer from mental health issues.
Here’s how some responded on Twitter:
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