**This is a class assignment and not an actual post
by Ellen DeGeneres**
Hello, My name is Ellen DeGeneres.
Most of you know me as a talk show host. Before my talk show, I did stand-up comedy and acted. In 1997 the character I played came out as gay on the prime-time sitcom, “Ellen.” Later that same week I came out as gay. From that point, I began advocating for LGBTQ rights.
Chick-fil-A. You either love them or hate them.
Chick-fil-A has made headlines many times for its religious views. Remember when the LGBTQ community boycotted Chick-fil-A because the then CEO, Dan Cathy, made a statement about his views of gay marriage? The Chick-fil-A company has received a lot of backlash from gay rights organizations and supporters over the years for their conservative views.
I think we need more love in the world. We need more kindness, more compassion, more joy, more laughter. We should be kind to everyone, even those who do not think or believe the same way we do. Chick-fil-A is doing just that! It’s spreading the love to those who think and believe differently than they do.
I was recently invited to speak with the leadership of Chick-fil-A. We put our differences aside and had a candid conversation about my story of coming out and how it affected me personally and professionally. I also explained the issues facing LGBTQ individuals, and ways they can make us feel welcomed and valued as people.
On November 1, 2021, Andrew Truitt Cathy took over as CEO. With a new CEO comes change. One of these changes is to make Chick-fil-A more inclusive and diverse. Chick-fil-A is trying to reach the LGBTQ community as their motto is “my pleasure.” They recently announced they are partnering with the Human Rights Campaign Foundation and will be implementing required training starting in January 2022 for all their employees to include training on diversity, issues LGBTQ individuals face, and teaching them to use inclusive language. I believe they are taking steps needed to truly change how
References:
DeJesus, E. (2019, April 11). San Jose will sorta-protest its upcoming chick-fil-A by making it ‘the gayest in the country’. Eater. Retrieved from https://www.eater.com/2019/4/11/18306323/san-jose-chick-fil-a-lgbt-protest-flag.
Ellen DeGeneres. Biography.com. (2021, May 12). Retrieved from https://www.biography.com/media-figure/ellen-degeneres
HRC. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.hrc.org/.