NEW YORK CITY: Street Preachers Battle Animal Rights Activists At Chick-Fil-A Grand Opening

Chick-Fil-A’s new megastore opened in midtown Manhattan this weekend to long lines and a battle between animal rights activists and street preachers, the latter of whom doubtlessly showed up expecting to scream at gay protesters. But the animal rights activists WERE queer-inclusive so there WAS a lot of yelling about sodomites. Gothamist reports:

A small but spirited group brandishing signs and chanting “We’re here! We’re queer! Get used to it!” burst out of the restaurant and onto the street. “We’re here to protest violence towards animals and LGBTQ individuals” explained Raffaella Ciavatta of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. “Chick-fil-A perpetuates the idea that some lives matter more than others, and that is the root of all that is wrong with the world.” In a surprise twist, the protest ended up being a double header: a group of self-proclaimed “Bible-Believers” joined the fray to protest the protest with battlecries of “Repent!” and “Sodomy is a sin! God hates gay!” The two camps settled in to yell at each other over police barricades while the line continued to work its way into the restaurant and people continued to order chicken sandwiches.

“We’re against these homosexuals,” explained Alan Ines of Stamford, Connecticut. “The Bible says that homosexuality is a sin. God doesn’t approve.” Ines was careful to note that God loves all people before turning towards the protesters and screaming “We love Chick-fil-A! We hate homo sex!!” Chick-fil-A issued a statement addressing the protest, saying: “Chick-fil-A is aware of demonstrators who gathered at our restaurant today. Our grand opening day activities continue as planned, and we are focused on serving customers delicious food with great service. We are excited to serve all of our guests in New York City!”

Lots of photos and a short video of the screaming are at the link.