Chick-fil-A has been under scrutiny for its donation history for years.
In 2012, Chick-fil-A's CEO said "guilty as charged" when asked about supporting so-called traditional marriage. The company faced boycotts and ultimately stopped donating to all but one anti-LGBTQ group.
On Wednesday, ThinkProgress published a report that claimed the fast food restaurant donated $1.8 million to anti-LGBTQ groups in 2017, according to tax filings.
Related: San Antonio city officials exclude Chick-fil-A from airport
When news emerged that the Buffalo airport would open a Chick-fil-A in fall 2019, Democratic Buffalo Assemblyman Sean Ryan spoke out, urging the NFTA to reverse its decision.
I'm disappointed in the @NFTA decision to bring a Chick-fil-A to the @BUFAirport. pic.twitter.com/zP0oIUOz3q
— Assemblyman Sean Ryan (@SeanMRyan149) March 29, 2019
Plans for Chick-fil-A at the airport have since been pulled.
"Earlier today I spoke with the vendor of the Buffalo Airport food court project, and they informed me they will not be opening a Chick-fil-A as a part of their airport project," Ryan said in a statement Friday, according to WGRZ. "A publicly financed facility like the Buffalo Niagara International Airport is not the appropriate venue for a Chick-fil-A restaurant. I applaud the decision that has been made to remove Chick-fil-A from the plans for this project.
“We hope in the future the NFTA will make every effort to contract with businesses that adhere to anti-discriminatory policies, and we’re confident another vendor who better represents the values of the Western New York community will replace Chick-fil-A as a part of this project in the very near future.”
Credit: Andrew Renneisen
Credit: Andrew Renneisen
Chick-fil-A issued the following statement in response to the latest reports.
"Recent coverage about Chick-fil-A continues to drive an inaccurate narrative about our brand. We do not have a political or social agenda or discriminate against any group. More than 145,000 people from different backgrounds and beliefs represent the Chick-fil-A brand. We embrace all people, regardless of religion, race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity."
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