Chick-fil-A is known for its delicious chicken sandwiches and summertime lemonade. Now, it can add another accolade to its list of accomplishments: being the inspiration for a religious liberty law in Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law that doesn’t explicitly mention the famous fried chicken fast food restaurant, but he did sign it surrounded by Chick-fil-A sandwiches and drinks. The law bans government entities from taking “adverse action” over an individual or organization’s affiliation to a religious organization. The law will take effect Sept. 1, 2019.
Today I signed the @ChickfilA law in Texas.
And, had a great lunch.
No business should be discriminated against simply because its owners donate to a church, the Salvation Army, or other religious organization.
Texas protects religious liberty. pic.twitter.com/1QwSTuoWu0
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) July 19, 2019
How did Chick-fil-A inspire this law? In April, I reported how politicians in Texas and New York had “made the decision to either disinvite or exclude Chick-fil-A from coveted airport spaces due to the company’s anti-LGBTQ positions.”
On March 21, the City Council of San Antonio voted to approve a contract with Paradies Lagadère to operate concessions in the San Antonio International Airport. The San Antonio Express-News reports Councilman Roberto Treviño “said he couldn’t support Chick-fil-A’s inclusion because of its anti-LGBT reputation, a concern echoed by Councilman Manny Peláez. Treviño suggested the council approve the deal while directing city staff and its new vendor, Paradies Lagardère, to find a replacement for Chick-fil-A.” The council then agreed to Treviño’s motion to approve the contract, but only if Chick-fil-A was excluded.
As it turns out, Texas protects religious liberty as much as it loves chicken sandwiches. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is opening an investigation regarding San Antonio’s decision to exclude Chick-fil-A from that contract. Local news sources report that, according to Paxton, “The City of San Antonio’s decision to exclude a respected vendor based on the religious beliefs associated with that company and its owners is the opposite of tolerance. The city’s discriminatory decision is not only out of step with Texas values, but inconsistent with the Constitution and Texas law.”
While Democrats in the Texas legislature said the bill invites discrimination, it does no such thing. According to the language, the bill states in part, “Notwithstanding any other law, a government entity may not take any adverse action against any person based wholly or partly on a person’s belief of action in accordance with the person’s sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction, including beliefs or convictions regarding marriage.”
If this language sounds familiar, that’s because it is. In the Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission ruling of 2018, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion that government hostility to religion is what sunk their case: “The Civil Rights Commission’s treatment of his case has some elements of a clear and impermissible hostility toward the sincere religious beliefs that motivated his objection.”
Now, go celebrate capitalism and religious liberty with a fried chicken sandwich and lemonade.
Nicole Russell (@russell_nm) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. She is a journalist who previously worked in Republican politics in Minnesota.
