Jason Merritt/Getty ImagesIs Chick-fil-A looking to get Ed Helms' business back?
Less than a day after The Office star posted a tweet saying he is boycotting the fast food chain because of its support of anti-gay groups and opposition to same-sex marriage, the company has issued a statement insisting it does not discriminate against gays.
"The Chick-fil-A culture and service tradition in our restaurants is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect—regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender," the statement reads, in part. "We will continue this tradition in the over 1,600 restaurants run by independent Owner/Operators. Going forward, our intent is to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena."
While Chick-fil-A's monetary support of anti-gay groups has been documented, company chief operating officer Dan Cathy caused a storm of controversy with comments he recently made to the Baptist Press.
He said he is "guilty as charged," when asked by the Press if he only supports the so-called "traditional family."
Cathy went on to explain that the company operates "on biblical principles."
Helms tweeted a link to a story about Cathy yesterday with the message, "Chick-fil-A doesn't like gay people? So lame. Hate to think what they do to the gay chickens! Lost a loyal fan."
No word from Helms today about the company's new statement, nor has the company responded to elaborate on whether it will continue to support groups opposed to same-sex marriage.