Chick-fil-A, a chicken sandwich chain long beloved by conservatives for its long opposition to same-sex marriage, has announced it has hired a diversity, equity and inclusion executive, now sparking calls for a boycott. .
The Atlanta-based company announced Tuesday it would appoint Eric McReynolds as vice president of DEI, sparking angry accusations on Twitter from conservatives who claimed the company had “woke up.” rice field.
McReynolds has been employed by Chick-fil-A since 2007.
He was promoted to Vice President of DEI in November 2021, according to his LinkedIn page.
But the recent LGBTQ controversy involving brands like Bud Light, Target and Kohl’s has sparked scrutiny of other corporate actors.
The introduction of the DEI by US companies seeking to diversify their workforce has been criticized by conservatives who say it discriminates based on race and gender.
“This is bad. It’s terrible. You don’t have to boycott it. Should you?” conservative strategist Joey Mannarino said.
Manarino then posted an unofficial poll asking his 166,000 followers whether or not to boycott.
As of late Tuesday afternoon, just over 47% of respondents voted in favor of the boycott, while more than half, 52.4%, voted against.
Manarino Linked to a page on Chick-fil-A’s site The title is “Working hard to be better together.”
“Chick-fil-A, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity, equity and inclusion,” the company said.
“We make hiring decisions non-discriminatory and remain committed to maintaining a work environment free of all forms of harassment.”
The company added, “One of Chick-fil-A, Inc.’s core values is that when we come together, we do better.”
“By combining our unique backgrounds and experiences with a culture of belonging, we are able to find new ways to enhance the quality of care we provide to our customers, the communities we serve and the world. “
“We are committed to ensuring mutual respect, understanding and dignity wherever we do business,” the company’s website quoted McReynolds as saying.
“These principles are good business practices and are essential to achieving our corporate objectives,” said the newly appointed DEI vice president.
Some Twitter users were outraged.
One Twitter user commented, “I hope they uphold their Christian values.”
Another Twitter user wrote, “From today I will no longer eat Chick-fil-A.”
Chick-fil-A, which operates about 3,000 restaurants in 48 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, has sought to expand its appeal beyond its core following and consumers, and has seen political moderation in recent years. The aims.
The company stopped donating to groups against same-sex marriage in 2019.
