Chick-fil-A President Denounces Marriage Equality

The president of the fast food chain Chick-fil-A voiced his disapproval of same-sex marriage in an interview this week and called marriage equality supporters "arrogant" for going against god, On Top Magazine reported.

Dan Cathy came out against gay marriage on a radio show and defended the restaurant's longstanding anti-gay stance.

"I think we are inviting God's judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at him and say, 'We know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage,'" Cathy said. "And I pray God's mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we have the audacity to define what marriage is about."

After being criticized for his statements the businessman told the Baptist Press earlier this week that he is "guilty as charged" and is very "supportive of the family -- the biblical definition of the family unit."

"We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that," Cathy told the publication.

Chick-fil-A officials have since released a statement and said the company follows biblically based values.

"The Chick-fil-A culture and service tradition in our restaurants is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect - regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender," the statement reads. "Going forward, our intent is to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena."

The statements upset many, including actor Ed Helms, who plays Andy on NBC's "The Office" and has starred in "The Hangover" films. The celebrity said this week that he would be boycotting Chick-fil-A because of the restaurant's anti-gay views.

"Chick-fil-A doesn't like gay people? So lame. Hate to think what they do to the gay chickens! Lost a loyal fan," Helms tweeted.

The article also notes that the NOH8 campaign has also called for supporters to boycott the fast food chain.

The restaurant chain opened its first location in a Georgia mall in 1967. It currently has 1,615 establishments in nearly 40 states.

This isn't the first time Chick-fil-A has received heat for having an anti-gay stance. In March, several students from colleges around the country protested the restaurant from coming to their campuses. In 2009, the company donated about $2 million to anti-gay groups, such as the Marriage & Family Legacy Fund, Focus on the Family, Exodus International and Family Research Council.

Boston's Northeastern University was one of the schools that voted to block the fast food chain. New York University students also campaigned to remove Chick-fil-A from campus, which happens to be the only such eatery in Manhattan. But the college's officials said they would not remove the restaurant.

Additionally, three drag queens created a parody protest video against Chick-fil-A. The clip, which parodies the 1990 hit "Hold On" by Wilson Philips, received nearly 1,500,000 views on YouTube.

"Someday somebody's gonna make you want to gobble up a waffle fry," William Belli, Detox, and Vicky Vox sing in "Chow Down (at Chick-fil-A)." "But no go, don't you know, Chick-fil-A say you make the baby Jesus cry."