After the shooting of singer Christina Grimmie on Friday evening and the mass shooting at the gay bar Pulse on Saturday evening in Orlando this weekend, the city has been filled with a common feeling of disgust at such tragedies. These attacks have made a country of mourners all gather together and realize that there is evil in this world and we must do what we can to prevent things like this from happening. Because it’s easy to bring religion and politics into every situation, there have been disputes over LGBTQ rights and the Christian and Islamic faiths and also the division of opinions on gun laws.
This time of mourning was one that actually woke us up to these issues that have been going on for years. But, instead of us being a nation divided as we have been before, especially in the last year or so, we have people of all faiths and sexualities coming together to help our fellow humans.
Chick-fil-A, after being heavily protested by the LGBTQ community starting in 2012 because of the CEO’s statement of opposing gay marriage, has stepped up in the Orlando community. Chick -fil-A, which is always closed on Sundays to keep the Sabbath holy according to Christian Law, had employees work on Sunday to deliver free food for the people who were waiting in line to donate blood for the victims of the nightclub attack that were still in critical condition.
Chick-fil-A’s states in it's handbook that it “values all persons, and is committed to the principle that we should treat one another and those who come into contact with our business with honor, dignity and respect. ” Pushing aside all ideological differences, the people who helped out in the way that they could, like how they faith and coincidentally their corporate policies told them to, by providing food for people who are making a life or death difference. They showed what this country is actually capable of: forgetting differences and supporting our fellow humans around us.
Though some (extreme) Christians may be upset about indirectly supporting the LGBTQ movement (which is an unfair statement encase in no way did Chick-fil-A advocate for gay rights, etc.), I think these volunteers and Chick-fil-A showed what a majority of Christians and other conservative religions actually feel about LGBTQ people. Though they may not support the practices of these people, there is no way that (most) Conservatives will deny the right of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness to another human. You can disagree with a single thing that a person believes and still accept them as a person and not force ideology on them and show them love. Chick-fil-A left those conflicts out and did what they felt the situation needed - showed support for a community that has experienced tragedy.
For those of the LGBTQ community who are saying that not accepting the gay part of your personality doesn’t mean you accept them as a person - I think Chick-fil-A showed that it is possible to be civil though we have differences. Not every Christian or Muslim hates gays, and not every church will expel homosexuals. The tense feelings between these two groups of people have always been and will mostly likely be a problem. If we meet hate with hate, we are not doing anything to actively understand the world around us. There are people who hate, and I think it’s fair to say that those people are on the extreme spectrum of Christianity and the LGBTQ community. But there’s so many of us filled with love. That’s what we need right now in oder to mourn these losses - empathy for our brothers and sisters.
The division of religion and the LGBTQ community is one that can be settled through showing empathy, respect, and understanding of both opinions. As Chick-fil-A has shown us, no matter what you believe, is it possible to live in harmony as long as we consider people as equal to ourselves.
