Four days prior to the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game between Duke and the University of Alabama, President Vincent Price and Kevin White, vice president and director of athletics, issued a statement expressing their support for the LGBTQ+ community amid controversy over Chick-fil-A’s stance on LGBTQ+ rights.
“In light of Duke’s participation in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game and the concerns that have been expressed about the title sponsor, we proudly reaffirm our commitment to the LGBTQ+ community,” they wrote. “We stand together with our LGBTQ+ colleagues—along with all of our classmates, teammates, teachers, alumni and friends—to fight for equality and to demand freedom from fear and hatred.”
The statement comes after the Duke LGBTQ Network and the Duke Student Government Executive Board emailed letters to Price expressing their concerns over Duke’s participation in the Chick-fil-A-sponsored game.
“It’s disappointing to see the University’s actions contradict its statement of support for the LGBTQIA+ community,” wrote senior Manish Kumar, DSG vice president of academic affairs, in a message to The Chronicle. “Considerations should be taken in the future so marginalized voices get a say in decisions like these.”
"The Duke LGBTQ Network is pleased to see the university condemn the widely documented efforts against the LGBTQ community by Chick-fil-A and its affiliates," wrote Alex Osmond, Trinity '09 and president of the Duke LGBTQ Network, in an email to The Chronicle.
As recently as 2017, the fast-food chicken restaurant donated more than $1.8 million to groups that have faced criticism of espousing anti-LGBTQ+ policies, according to ThinkProgress, a progressive news site.
These groups included the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, which had a policy against homosexual behavior; the Salvation Army, which has faced historical accusations of promoting anti-LGBTQ+ views; and the Paul Anderson Youth Home, which teaches youth that same-sex marriage is wrong, as of ThinkProgress’s reporting in March 2019.
Along with these donations, Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy, son of founder S. Truett Cathy, spoke out against the LGBTQ+ community in 2012, saying that those who support same-sex marriage are acting against God, as he supports “the biblical definition of the family unit,” the Washington Post reported at the time.
Chick-fil-A did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Duke currently has a Chick-fil-A located in the Medical Center.
“We stand together to condemn any effort to legislate, mandate, or facilitate bias and discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, race, religion, immigration status, or national origin,” Price and White continued.
The football game is scheduled for Aug. 31 and will be held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
“By standing together, we seek to make our campus more just and inclusive, and to carry these values to the wider world. Let this be a notice that the Duke community not only defends but celebrates the humanity of all people,” Price and White wrote to end the statement.
Editor's Note: This article was updated to include Osmond's comment and information on the Chick-fil-A in the Medical Center.
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Maria Morrison is a Trinity senior and a digital strategy director for The Chronicle's 117th volume. She was previously managing editor for Volume 116.