Antoine Dodson Defends Chick-Fil-A: Gay Internet Celebrity Criticizes Boycott (VIDEO)
Antonie Dodson, the openly gay internet celebrity famous for his tirade on the news in 2010, defended Chick-Fil-A's support for traditional marriage, saying he would still eat there if he so chose. For the actor, Chick-Fil-A COO Dan Cathy's decision to make his company a Christian one doesn't warrant a protest of their restaurant.
Antoine Dodson's Chick-Fil-A YouTube video was made in response to controversy surrounding the company, as gay activists and the mayor of Boston lambasted the company for upholding the Christian faith first.
"Just let me tell you this: I have uncles and aunties as well that does not approve of gay marriages and stuff like that, but they respect me. I don't care about one person's opinion ... and that's fine," Dodson began.
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"Chick-Fil-A makes good meals … so no one is gonna stop me from eating there," the singer continued, citing several gay advocates who advised him to boycott the company. "If I want to have a Chick-Fil-A sandwich, guess what? I'm gonna have a Chick-Fil-A sandwich. It doesn't matter what a person thinks."
The controversy first began when Dan Cathy, COO of the company, declared in an interview that Chick-Fil-A is "very much supportive of the family— the biblical definition of the family unit."
"We know that if might not be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord, we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles," he told the Baptist Press. After another appearance on the Ken Coleman radio show, Mayors Thomas Menino of Boston, Rahm Emanuel of Chicago, and Edwin M. Lee of San Francisco said they would deny Chick-Fil-A opening restaurants in their respective cities.
Liberal and conservative voices like the American Civil Liberties union criticized the mayors, who were violating the Cathy's First Amendment rights. Antoine Dodson also pointed out in a second YouTube video response that Cathy wouldn't personally be affected by a boycott— his employees would.
"The people at the restaurants are sweet, and they greet me kindly. … If we stop coming, them hardworking people in that building no longer have jobs," he explained. "There's a picture in this world way bigger … those people work really hard, and they have families and stuff. … I'm supporting those hard workers in the kitchen."
His take on the rights of homosexuals in the U.S. differs from other gay advocates as well. For Dodson, he feels he has plenty of rights.
"Let me tell you what gay rights is. I can go anywhere in the U.S. and buy a house, I can go buy a car … I can take trips whenever," he said. "That says to me that I have rights and I'm gay. I have the rights to live in this world. … I'm able to take care of my family and things like that. … That is rights to me."
