America Squawks For, Against Chick-fil-A

This Thursday, July 19, 2012 photo shows a Chick-fil-A fast food restaurant in Atlanta.

Nothing gets America fired up like chicken -- and gays getting married.

For proof, witness Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day, in which more than 600,000 people answered former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's call to support the restaurant's president's views against gay marriage. The event's Facebook page shows thousands joining the effort every few minutes.

[Chick-fil-A's Controversial Gay Marriage Beef]

"The goal is simple: Let's affirm a business that operates on Christian principles and whose executives are willing to take a stand for the Godly values we espouse by simply showing up and eating at Chick-fil-A on Wednesday, August 1," Huckabee writes on the Facebook page. "[Chick-fil-A] is a great American story that is being smeared by vicious hate speech and intolerant bigotry from the left."

Meanwhile, the show of support prompted opposing events all across the country staged by supporters of gay marriage and animal-rights advocates. Gay rights group GLAAD scheduled National Same-Sex Kiss Day, also known as Kiss Mor Chiks day, for August 3. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals planned to stage protests at Chick-fil-A locations nationwide for both the its gay marriage stance and its treatment of chickens.

The chicken activism comes in response to comments made by Dan Cathy, president of Chick-fil-A and member of its founding family. In a radio interview last month, Cathy said the chain maintains it stance against gay marriage, and later went on to say that "we are inviting God's judgment on our nation" by supporting it.

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The comments sparked political uproar, with the mayors of Boston and Chicago speaking out against new Chick-fil-A locations in their cities. Supportive politicians such as Sarah Palin and former Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum tweeted their approval of the chicken chain and Huckabee's 

Business partners of the chain, like Muppet toy-maker Jim Henson Co. and children's book franchise Berenstain Bears distanced themselves from the chain amid the controversy.

Seth Cline is a reporter with U.S. News and World Report. Contact him at scline@usnews.com or follow him on Twitter.

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Chick-fil-A Wants Nothing To Do With Mike Huckabee's Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day

Mike Huckabee's Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day isn't getting much love from Chick-Fil-A, despite the apparent record sales and crowds the day has drawn. 

The former Arkansas governor created the event on his Facebook page, where he wrote that he was "incensed at the vitriolic assaults" made on Chick-fil-A as a result of their stance against gay marriage.

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To fight back, Huckabee said, Americans should swarm Chick-fil-A stores across the country on August 1 to show their support. Many customers seemed to have listened. In Indiana, a Chick-fil-A employee posted a photo of his store's record-breaking sales. In Conway, Arkansas, a store reported record crowds. Dozens of tweets reported lines wrapped around the block.

Nevertheless, Chick-fil-A doesn't seem too willing to embrace the day.

"Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day was not created by Chick-fil-A," Chick-fil-A executive vice president of marketing Steve Robinson said in an statement E-mailed to Whispers about the event. 

In response to requests for information on crowd or sale sizes, the chicken giant said it would not share that information. 

The Chick-fil-A Twitter account also went silent Tuesday, and made no mention of the Huckabee event on the days leading up to it.

If anything, Chick-fil-A seemed to want to avoid furthering the uproar that came after the company's president's comments last month. Dan Cathy confirmed in a radio interview that Chick-fil-A was against gay marriage and said those supporting it were "inviting God's judgment on our nation." 

Meanwhile, Wendy's also appears to have a beef with the day. After a conservative blogger tweeted about a local Wendy's sign recommending Chick-fil-A, the fast food chain wrote back: "An independent franchisee posted the sign, which he's taken down. We proudly serve ALL customers."

Elizabeth Flock is a staff writer for U.S. News & World Report. You can contact her at eflock@usnews.com or follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

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