People who support companies that donate to anti-queer organizations are also promoting anti-queer causes. Stopping at Memories Pizza, a restaurant who has been openly discriminatory against gay couples, on a vacation to Indiana may seem justified at the time if you need a quick bite to eat, but people need to realize that they are biting into a larger issue.
Corporations shouldn’t donate to hateful and discriminatory causes, and consumers shouldn’t support companies that continue to make hateful donations.
If people choose to continue to grab a slice of pepperoni pizza for lunch and watch the NFL’s Houston Texans play a football game, they need to learn where their money is going and whether or not their contributions will hurt others in the future.
Just this month, the Houston Texans owner Bob McNair donated $10,000 to Campaign for Houston, an anti-queer organization, according to The Advocate. Campaign for Houston is comprised of families who are against gender-neutral bathrooms, The Advocate reported. The organization also encourages people to vote against the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance which protects Houston residents from discrimination, according to click2houston.com. McNair told Vice Sports that making this donation “was very exciting for us.”
People who use their status in professional sports to donate to discriminatory causes are despicable. Someone as important as the owner of a major sports team may influence people to follow in McNair’s footsteps and donate money to anti-queer organizations.
People also need to realize that their food purchases at Memories Pizza in Indiana are going towards an organization that promotes discrimination.
On April 2, 2015, Memories Pizza told ABC News that “if a gay couple came in and wanted us to provide pizzas, we would have to say no,” according to The Verge.
After the restaurant received immense backlash and negativity, to my dismay, Memories Pizza also received money from supporters standing behind the restaurant.
A crowd funding page in support of Memories Pizza raised nearly $500,000 in a 24–hour period, according to The Verge.
“The restaurant was forced to temporarily close after backlash from the media and the public, but soon reopened after receiving donations from loyal customers on the GoFundMe page,” according to Eater.
Although the U.S. Supreme Court made gay marriage legal nationwide, there are still deep–rooted issues within the minds of people who are against gay marriage and the notion of accepting the community in general.
Closed-minded people have also closed off their hearts in accepting the queer community. There is no reason why the queer community should feel isolated, judged or feel as though they are not accepted as a citizen in the United States. They need to be seen as equals to everyone else living in this world. Consumers who patronize businesses that support anti-queer associations are contributing to the discrimination and hate that continues to permeate our society.
People enjoy watching JJ Watt play defense for the Houston Texans and greasy pizza is always satisfying, but people need to start thinking with their brain, not their stomach.
