Chick-fil-A facing gay kiss-in protest

Supporters of gay marriage in the US plan to hold a protest at outlets of a fast-food chain, in response to its owner's opposition to same-sex unions.

Demonstrators plan to kiss a fellow protestor of the same sex inside Chick-fil-A restaurants.
Owner Dan Cathy has said he backs the "biblical definition of a family".
 
 Gay marriage supporters stand outside a Chick-fil-A in California on Wednesday

The "kiss-in" comes two days after "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day", when customers went to the chain's outlets in defence of Mr Cathy's comments.
Chick-fil-A restaurants in cities across southern states of the US, where the majority of the chain's outlets are located, were reported to be bustling with customers who turned out in support on Wednesday.
In a statement, the chain said that Wednesday had been "an unprecedented day", but it did not release exact sales numbers.
'Guilty as charged' More than 13,000 people said on Facebook they would be attending "National Same Sex Kiss Day at Chick-fil-A" on Friday.
Carly McGehee, one of the organisers, told the Associated Press she hopes the event helps gay youths "who feel isolated and are victims of bullying".

 

Some outlets of the food chain saw long queues on Wednesday for "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day"

The event was organised before ex-presidential candidates Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee called for customers to support the chain on Wednesday.
Supporters of Friday's protest include the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (Glaad).
"Without question, Dan Cathy has every right to voice his opinions and beliefs," Herndon Graddick, Glaad's president, said in a statement.
"But he should meet and get to know the people that he's speaking out against - the people who are harmed by his company's multi-million dollar donations to anti-gay hate groups working to hurt everyday LGBT Americans and break apart loving families."
In 2010, Mr Cathy's non-profit WinShape, largely supported by Chick-fil-A, donated $2m (£1.2m) to groups that oppose gay marriage, ABC News reports.
Among those was the National Organization for Marriage, which led efforts to ban gay marriage in California.
Mr Cathy's comments came last month in a religious publication, where he said he was "guilty as charged" in backing "the biblical definition of a family".
"We don't claim to be a Christian business," Mr Cathy said. "But as an organization we can operate on biblical principles."
In a later radio interview, he said: "I think we are inviting God's judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at him and say, 'We know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage."'
Mr Cathy is a Southern Baptist and his chain does not operate any of its stores on Sunday, in observance of the Christian holy day.
"The Chick-fil-A culture and 66-year-old service tradition in our restaurants is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect - regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender," the company said in a statement.