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‘Kiss Day’ at Chick-fil-A

Posted at 12:25 PM, Aug 03, 2012
and last updated 2012-08-03 18:01:51-04

RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) - Two days after Chick-fil-A broke a single-day sales record on "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day," gay rights activists held a Chick-fil-A "kiss day." The event was organized after Chick-fil-A president and COO Dan Cathy stepped into the battle over gay marriage by saying he supported the "biblical definition of family."

"We are very much supportive of the family - the biblical definition of the family unit," Cathy told The Baptist Press on July 16. "We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that."

At the Willow Lawn Chick-fil-A in Henrico County Friday, CBS 6 news crews observed four people taking part in the kiss day event. Other events are being discussed and shared on social media.

"I think that the secret to bringing about change in this issue is people getting to know us, " said Gay Community Center of Richmond CEO Bill Harrison. "They learn that we're not the monsters that some people have made us out to be."

Harrison hopes Cathy's willingness to speak his mind about marriage ends up being a good thing for the gay community.

"I'm hoping that that's one of the positives to come out of this. It will bring the issue to the surface again so that people can talk about it," Harrison said.

On Wednesday, thousands of Americans waited in line for "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day." Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee created a Facebook page urging people to buy food at the chain during the "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day" after a backlash ensued following Cathy's statement.  Chick-fil-A said it set a sales record Wednesday, but declined to release the numbers.

Proponents of same-sex marriage organized a simple counterprotest for Wednesday, asking people to donate the approximate cost of a Chick-fil-A meal, about $6.50, to gay and lesbian rights groups, according to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, known as GLAAD.

 

 

(The CNN wire contributed to this report)