As you probably know if you care, I think the drive to block Gay Marriage (and full civil rights for anyone of any sexual persuasion) is a shameful exercise in fear and bigotry — fear, mostly. I also think it's being driven to a great extent by people who really don't care if folks with the same genitalia wed but find it a useful — and to a great extent, lucrative — crusade to promote. Does anyone think Mitt Romney really cares if gay people marry? Of course not. But there are votes and campaign contributions to be harvested there so he says what he says.
So maybe I should rush to join the boycott of Chick-Fil-A, the fast food chain whose owners donate beaucoup bucks to anti-gay causes and who serve tasty chicken sandwiches with a subtle undertext of Bible Thumping. But no. First off, one cannot boycott that which one does not patronize. Haven't set foot in a Chick-Fil-A in at least five years. I liked the few I visited in other cities enough but when they finally opened one in my neck of the woods — Sunset and Highland, to be exact — I decided I didn't like their food enough to brave the parking situation up there. So I drive by all the time with no yearning to stop in for a bite. Looks like it'll stay that way.
Also, I'm not big on boycotts and I usually feel they hurt the innocent bystanders — like in this case, minimum-wage Chick-Fil-A employees who didn't set these policies — more than they bring the bosses to their knees. Or they penalize suppliers or other businesses that became involved with Chick-Fil-A when this was not an issue. I guess I also don't like that folks are going to look at Chick-Fil-A reported sales the next few months and try to parse that data as some sort of valid referendum on Gay Marriage, which it won't be.
In an odd way, I like that the Chick-Fil-A people are at least open about their views. I'm sure a lot of the profits realized by my purchases at other business establishments find their way to causes I do not champion. Supposing I did have business with Chick-Fil-A and in protest, I took it away and started spending that money at Arby's. How do I know that Mr. Arby doesn't tithe 10% of the chain's profits to a group that wants to lower the age of consent to three? It's possible. I mean, we know they're not spending all their proceeds on meat.
So I'm against boycotting Chick-Fil-A and I'm really against the levers of government being used to prevent them from opening someplace just because of their owners' political views. I think people are wrong to oppose Gay Marriage but they have every right to oppose Gay Marriage. On the other hand, if they try to open a Carls Jr on my street, that should be blocked…not because its management supports right-wing causes but because their food is really, really awful. The last time I was in one, I asked if a certain sandwich on their menu could be made without the cheese. The kid at the counter said, "Oh, but the cheese is the only edible part of that one."