The backlash against lawmakers who want to force Chick-fil-A and all businesses housed in New York State Thruway rest stops to open every Sunday is growing, with a prominent Catholic group blasting the proposed move.
The Catholic League, a watchdog group that monitors media, culture, and lawmakers to defend the civil rights of Catholics and Christians, blasted Democratic Assemblyman Tony Simone and Democratic Senator Michelle Hinchey for sponsoring this legislation.
Catholic League President Bill Donohue, an Air Force veteran and one of the top faith-based leaders in the United States, held Simone and Hinchey accountable for claiming their proposed law does not specifically target Chick-fil-A.
“He (Assemblyman Simone) insists that targeting Chick-fil-A has nothing to do with the Christian convictions of its chairman, Dan T. Cathy. Simone can repeat this refrain all day long but he cannot walk back a comment he made in late December. He told reporters that Chick-fil-A has ‘a long, shameful history of opposing LGBTQ rights,’” said Donohue.
The Catholic League President also criticized the lawmakers for only targeting a Christian-owned restaurant while establishments of other faiths remain closed on certain days within their respective districts.
“In the district that Simone represents, there are Jewish stores that are closed on Saturdays. Does this mean that a kosher deli cannot open shop along the rest areas of the New York Thruway? The contempt for traditional people of faith is astonishing,” added Donohue.
Chick-fil-A has been closed on Sundays since the mid 1940s so workers can rest and worship.
According to the restaurant chain’s website, “Our founder, S. Truett Cathy, made the decision to close on Sundays in 1946 when he opened his first restaurant in Hapeville, Georgia. Having worked seven days a week in restaurants open 24 hours, Truett saw the importance of closing on Sundays so that he and his employees could set aside one day to rest, enjoy time with their families and loved ones or worship if they choose, a practice we uphold today.”
Right now there are seven Chick-fil-A restaurants inside Thruway rest stops, with three more being built. It is believed that these existing restaurants would be exempt from the proposed legislation, but any businesses moving forward would be forced to open on Sunday, including Chick-fil-A.
Even United States Senator Lindsay Graham (R-South Carolina) got into the battle over selling chicken sandwiches here in New York.
Graham stated he will propose legislation to block federal funds to any municipality, local or state, that tries to force Chick-fil-A to remain open on Sundays.