Real News From The Blaze': Chick-fil-A Controversy Stirs Debate on Local Gov't vs. Private Beliefs

Chick-Fil-A has been in the news of late. Liberal and LGBT activists have been calling arms against the Southern chicken fast food chain for some time due to Chick-fil-A's WinShape Foundation donations to groups who advocate traditional marriage such as Marriage & Family Foundation, Exodus International and the Family Research Council. But "anti-gay" accusations and more calls for boycott have intensified after Chick-Fil-A President Dan Cathy recently told the Baptist Press "guilty as charged," when asked about the company's support of the traditional family:

"We are very much supportive of the family -- the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that.

"We operate as a family business ... our restaurants are typically led by families; some are single. We want to do anything we possibly can to strengthen families. We are very much committed to that," Cathy emphasized.

"We intend to stay the course," he said. "We know that it might not be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord, we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles."

Following the comments Jim Henson co. pulled their toys from Chick-Fil-A's kids meals, a Chicago alderman with the support of Mayor Rahm Emanuel has pledged to block plans to build a restaurant in the city's Northwest Side, and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino sent a heated letter to Cathy stating that allowing the chain to spread to his city "would be an insult." On the other side, former 2008 Republican presidential primary candidate Mike Huckabee has called for a "Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day" for their stance on the same-sex marriage issue, that has drawn the support of 2012 Republican presidential primary candidate Rick Santorum.

Can a local government block a business from operating because of privately held beliefs that may not be in-line with the leaders of said local government? Is it fair to distinguish between businesses based on values – a city council would probably not allow a porn shop open up next to a school for instance, but is that a fair parallel to what’s happening with Chick-Fil-A in Boston and Chicago?

These questions were asked on "Real News" Wednesday, watch a clip below: