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In the end, it is not about eating (or eating a certain chicken sandwich). It is about sitting down at a table together and sharing our views as human beings, engaged in real, respectful, civil dialogue. Dan would probably call this act the biblical definition of hospitality. I would call it human decency.
So long as we are all at the same table and talking,
does it matter what we call it or what we eat?
Shane Windmeyer, Huffington Post, January 2013
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| Sitting Down at the Table with Chick-fil-A  It is not often that people with deeply held and completely opposing viewpoints actually risk sitting down and listening to one another.
But, what happens when they do?Learn firsthand from Shane Windmeyer as he talks candidly about his friendship with fast-food chain president Dan Cathy of Chick-fil-A and the lessons learned about leadership, respect and civility. In July of 2012, the fast-food chain was criticized nationwide for Cathy's statements opposing gay marriage and Chick-fil-A's support of anti-LGBTQ organizations and hate groups. After Windmeyer led a national boycott of the chain with a "Five Simple Facts about Chick-fil-A" campaign, Cathy reached out and they both sat down to talk.
Windmeyer and Cathy's subsequent, slowly-evolving friendship allowed the unlikely pair to speak openly, build trust and for Cathy to listen to LGBTQ concerns, especially as it negatively impacted LGBTQ youth on college campuses. The friendship allowed both to grow their beliefs and assumptions about the other, ultimately allowing "the blessing of growth" - expanding one's world, without abandoning it.
In January 2013, Windmeyer talks about Cathy for the first time and this "blessing of growth" on the Huffington Post in a piece titled "Dan & Me: Coming Out as a friend of Dan Cathy of Chick-fil-A." The blog post went viral nationally, shocking many on both the left and the far right, garnering a flurry of harsh criticism and even threats. Windmeyer suspended the boycott against Chick-fil-A after confirming through internal documents that the fast-food chain no longer gave to anti-LGBTQ hate groups. He put faith in the newfound friendship, as did Cathy.  Cathy has since later in 2014 said in an interview about the anti-gay remarks, "Every leader goes through different phases of maturity, growth and development and it helps by [recognizing] the mistakes that you make." He added, "And you learn from those mistakes. If not, you're just a fool. I'm thankful that I lived through it and I learned a lot from it." This program is perfect for campuses who wish to create a safe space for open, welcoming dialogue between members of the campus community.
Available Formats: Roundtable Discussion & Lecture
Target Audience(s): LGBTQ & Ally Students, Faith Communities, Student Affairs Staff & Other Professionals, Residence Life Student and Professional Staff
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Other Lectures & Workshops by Shane Windmeyer:
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- What's Your Gay Point Average?
- The State of Higher Education for LGBTQ People
- The Impact of Hate
- OUT & Greek: Being LGBTQ in a College Fraternity
- OutSpoken: Coming Out as an Ally
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Keep a civil tongue.