May 24, 2013
Anti-Gay Event Offers Free Chick-fil-A
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 1 MIN.
Cornerstone Baptist Temple in Dayton, Ohio took an ad out in their local paper offering $25 Chick-fil-A gift cards to married straight couples that attended an event honoring what the church called "Biblical marriage."
In a statement to The Huffington Post, Chick-fil-A said the event was not sponsored by Chick-fil-A or any of its Dayton restaurants. The gift cards were purchased by a local restaurant and donated to the church for their Sunday event.
The ad, which was first posted to Reddit, has sparked a conversation that seems to be aimed more at the guest speaker, Tom Raper, than the anti-gay theme of the event. The post range from poking fun at Raper's last name, to pointing out the fact he apparently runs an organization to help promote his religious beliefs in Richmond, Indiana.
"He's a devout fundy, and has formed the Tom Raper Foundation to spread his beliefs," says Reddit user gwok2. "When you actually get to the Richmond, Indiana area most of the billboards along I-70 are either for the world's largest camper/RV dealer (Tom Raper) or his religious foundation."
Raper sold his RV business in 2002, but the company still bears his name.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
