Not everyone who works at Chick-fil-A is against gay marriage. And the company's stance on the issue may end up harming workers who support the cause.
The calls to boycott Chick-fil-A in response to the anti-gay marriage remarks of the company's president will hurt a lot of people, many of whom don't share his views, according to an anonymous Reddit user who identified himself as a Chick-fil-A manager.
"I can see why people wouldn't want to give a percentage of their money to a guy with different views. At the same time it hurts a lot of people," the manager wrote on Reddit as part of an Ask Me Anything thread. "Many of whom are atheist/liberal."
Ask Me Anything threads are a Reddit feature in which users attempt to verify the source and then ask relevant questions.
Dan Cathy, the president of the fast food chain and the son of the company's founder, recently voiced his anti-gay marriage stance to Baptist Press and on "The Ken Coleman Show." Cathy also donated about $2 million to anti-gay groups in 2010, according to a report by gay rights group Equality Matters.
"I pray God's mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we have the audacity to try to redefine what marriage is about," Cathy said on "The Ken Coleman Show."
Those comments have ignited a fury of backlash, including many calls to boycott the chain, from high-profile celebrities to politicians. Boston Mayor Thomas Menino even promised to prevent a franchise from opening its doors in his city. The Jim Henson Company, maker of the "The Muppets," recently cut ties with Chick-fil-A.
As for the manager, he took to Reddit to remind readers that Cathy's stance is his own and doesn't reflect the views of the entire company. He added that he accommodates protesters outside his franchise, even offering them water.
"It sucks because I know a lot of good people and good business owners who are affected by one man's views," he wrote.