The CEO of of Chick-fil-A has no interest in being a culture warrior.
It was nearly two years ago when Dan Cathy, the head of the fried chicken chain, voiced his opposition to both same-sex marriage and Supreme Court rulings that bolstered gay nuptials, setting off a firestorm involving activists on both sides of the issue.
Supporters of marriage equality called for boycotts, while social conservatives — led by Mike Huckabee — responded with a “Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day.”
Chick-fil-A has always had a Christian ethos, typified by its religious-motivated decision to close on Sundays.
But while Cathy hasn’t changed his position, he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution last week that he regrets getting involved in the debate.
“Every leader goes through different phases of maturity, growth and development and it helps by (recognizing) the mistakes that you make,” Cathy said, as quoted by the Journal-Constitution. “And you learn from those mistakes. If not, you’re just a fool. I’m thankful that I lived through it and I learned a lot from it.”
Cathy said his decision to keep his views on marriage to himself came after prayer and a conversation with a gay friend who, according to the Journal-Constitution, “helped Cathy understand why marriage was important to the gay community.”
