Campus Pride petition calls on college sports organizations, campuses, companies, and media to distance themselves from Chick-fil-A

The Chick-fil-A Bowl is an annual NCAA football bowl game that occurs in Atlanta, Georgia in late December. A portion of the profits that Chick-fil-A secures from relationships with college sports organizations, campuses, companies, and media groups as a result of the bowl game are used to fund anti-gay organizations that aggressively work for or support the criminalization, psychological coercion or death of LGBT people. Campus Pride has created a petition on Change.org calling for organizations such as the ACC, SEC, ESPN, AT&T, Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines, and others to withdraw their support and participation from the Chick-fil-A bowl. Many of the organizations and campuses involved in the bowl game are making efforts to become more LGBT-friendly in other areas, and Campus Pride urges them to uphold this mission in all of their work, including partnerships such as bowl game sponsorships and participation.

You can view and sign the petition here: https://www.change.org/petitions/chick-fil-a-bowl-supporters-ncaa-leagues-campuses-companies-media-stop-funding-hate-groups-and-anti-gay-causes.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Campus Pride, the leading national nonprofit for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) and ally college students, has joined with the Outsports.com today in calling for immediate action to end the Chick-fil-A Bowl and Kickoff Games as well as involvement by NCAA, ACC, SEC and ESPN and the participating colleges - University of Alabama, University of Arkansas, Auburn University, Boston College, Clemson University, Duke University, University of Florida, Florida State, University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, University of Kentucky, Louisiana State, University of Maryland, University of Miami, Mississippi State, University of Missouri, University of North Carolina, North Carolina State, Pittsburgh University, University of South Carolina, Syracuse University, University of Tennessee, Texas A&M University, Vanderbilt University, University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest University.

Campus Pride supports these specific actions:

• Atlanta Chamber of Commerce should remove the Chick-fil-A name from the Bowl and the Kickoff Games.
• Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC) should end their relationship with the Bowl game.
• Participating schools involved with the Bowl game should withdraw from this year’s Kickoff Games.
• ESPN should not broadcast the Chick-fil-A Bowl and Kickoff Games.
• National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) should stop all monetary support of the Chick-fil-A Bowl.
• Bowl Championship Series (BCS) commissioners and presidents should not even accept a bid from the Chick-fil-A Bowl to host the impending college football playoff games starting in 2014.

Campus Pride issued this statement today: