Faculty and staff at the University of Kansas sent a letter to the school's chancellor, calling for a boycott of Chick-fil-A on campus over the company's stance on LGBTQ issues, according to The Hill.
Over the summer, the university allowed Chick-fil-A to open a location inside the student union, and entered a contract agreement with the company to sponsor the "Chick-fil-A coin toss" at home football games in coming years. Faculty and staff have protested Chick-fil-A's support of organizations "hostile to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer LGBTQ people, families, and communities."
"KU granted Chick-fil-A, a bastion of bigotry, a prime retail location in the heart of our campus," the letter reads.
Moving Chick-fil-A to the Union and granting it a role at the start of all home football games violates the feelings of safety and inclusion that so many of us have striven to create, foster, and protect on campus, and sends a message that the Union, KU Athletics, and the administration at large are more concerned about money and corporate sponsorship than the physical, emotional, and mental well being of marginalized and LGBTQ people.
The faculty and staff are demanding that the University of Kansas not renew its contracts with Chick-fil-A once they expire, and that future decisions about companies to bring on campus be more "transparent, principled, and inclusive." The letter also calls on the campus community to boycott Chick-fil-A in the meantime.
"While many Christians are supportive of the LGBTQ community and many are members themselves, the culture of Chick-fil-A fosters hate and discrimination on multiple levels," the letter reads. "In short, Chick-fil-A on KU's campus stands in direct contrast to the university's mission of fostering a multicultural, inclusive environment."