January 15, 2021
Chick-fil-A in Castro Valley? Let the Battle Begin
READ TIME: 1 MIN.
Chick-fil-A hit a roadblock this week in an effort to open a new location in Castro Valley, as first reported by Castro Valley News.
While the Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council rejected the zoning adjustment due to concerns over the potential traffic from a drive-thru, it was clear that Chick-fil-A's long anti-LGBTQ history didn't sit well with residents either.
Community members voiced their opinions at the meeting, the San Francisco Chronicle reports, including a petition presented by a Castro Valley High School student containing more than 100 signatures in opposition, including a detailed account of the company's anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and financial contributions.
The Atlanta-based company fell under wider public scrutiny in 2019, pulling donations to groups against same-sex marriage – a move met with "cautious optimism" by the LGBTQ advocacy organization GLAAD.
The UK similarly responded to Chick-fil-A's presence in 2019 when a store in Reading, England, shuttered after only nine days amid protests organized by Reading Pride.
