On January 29, I attended the Northwestern men’s basketball game vs. Rutgers with my husband. I’m writing because I was very dismayed to see prominent Chick-fil-A advertising on the Welsh-Ryan Arena jumbotron. Knowing that Chick-fil-A has an extensive history of donating to anti-LGBTQ organizations, my enjoyment of the game was greatly diminished. However, enjoyment of the game is not my primary concern.
Rather, I am offended by the assault on my core value of inclusivity — a value NU purports to share. The University’s mission statement commits to the “personal and intellectual growth of its students in a diverse academic community.” Featuring Chick-fil-A advertising during a campus basketball game runs counter to this stated value.
As an Evanston resident and ticket-purchaser, I was and continue to be offended by Chick-fil-A’s presence at the basketball game. It’s common knowledge that Chick-fil-A is a business heavily influenced by its Christian religious beliefs; the late S. Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A, was a devout Southern Baptist. But religion is not the problem.
What’s objectionable is the company’s history of opposition to same-sex marriage and the millions of dollars donated through the WinShape Foundation to groups that oppose same-sex marriage and other LGBTQ issues.
Since 2019, the company has made efforts to soften its image as a corporate opponent to same-sex marriage. However, Chick-fil-A continues its problematic charitable giving through the National Christian Foundation, a donor-advised fund focused primarily by Christian donors.
As of 2021, Chick-fil-A owner Dan Cathy, the founder’s son, is still actively involved with groups such as the NCF. Between 2015 and 2017, NCF distributed $56.1 million to 23 organizations designated as hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Most of these organizations opposed LGBTQIA rights, and some were anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim.
We are living in a time when anti-LGBTQ legislation is running rampant in our country. In 2024, state legislatures introduced a record 533 bills targeting LGBTQ populations. And President Donald Trump has initiated and signed executive orders outlawing gender-affirming healthcare, eliminating the bodily autonomy of transgender youth who make these very personal decisions in conjunction with their family and healthcare providers.
GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders Law and the National Center For Lesbian Rights have sued to stop Trump’s ban on trans people in the military. And the administration’s efforts to search out and squash diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives are reminiscent of the Red Scare of the 1950s.
I think the choice of sponsorship for NU men’s basketball matters. Having Chick-fil-A as an advertiser may make sense from a strictly financial perspective, but I’m certain there are other sponsors who are less problematic or whose values align with NU’s stated commitment to “diversity.” The Faustian bargain of keeping Chick-fil-A as an advertiser presents as a losing proposition to me.
NU’s image as an institution committed to diversity took a heavy hit when I saw the Chick-fil-A ads. Promoting chicken tenders is one thing, but it’s the side of intolerance I could do without. My message to Northwestern – Do Better!
Maria Tolpin is a resident in Evanston, Illinois. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Letter to the Editor to [email protected]. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.
