CORPUS CHRISTI (Kiii News) -
Thousands of people lined up outside of local Chick-Fil-A restaurants on Wednesday. It's part of Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day in support of the restaurant chain president Dan Cathy, who said in an interview that he is a firm backer of traditional marriage.
Across the country, people flocked to their Chick-Fil-A to show support. This was the case at the store located on SPID and Everhart.
At one point, according to callers, the lines stretched to the nearby Bed Bath & Beyond shopping center. Folks who work there said it had been like that ever since they opened Wednesday morning.
Most everyone there didn't just show up for the food. They came out in support of traditional marriage.
"I'm here to support them and what they're doing," customer John Wilhelm said.
"I'm standing up for God's truth," customer Beverly Maxey said. "One man, one woman, as stated in the bible."
The crowds showed at both Chick-Fil-A locations in Corpus Christi; the La Palmera food court location, and the SPID location, where lines wrapped around the building.
The company itself announced that the Appreciation Day was not their idea. It was actually started on Facebook by a group of people who were in support of the
company's view on marriage.
Cathy's comments received serious backlash from same-sex marriage supporters across the country.
Erika Galindo, secretary of the Gay-Straight Alliance at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, released this statement earlier Wednesday.
"While we recognize that Chick-Fil-A has every right to donate to whichever organization they'd like, we as consumers have the right to call out a company when we feel their practices are discriminatory. We are disappointed that citizens are eager to display their support for organizations that function to take away an already disenfranchised group's rights, but due to the fact that all members of our organization are students, calling for an elimination of an affordable food option in a tough economic climate that's readily available on campus is impractical. We do, however, encourage consumers to shop responsibly and consciously."
