A Louisiana high school turned down a free teacher lunch from Chick-fil-A, a company that has donated millions to anti-gay causes, citing “respect” for LGBTQ+ staff members.

The decision was made by Dr. Steven Corbett, principal of Lusher High School in New Orleans, who said the values of the school didn’t align with those of the restaurant’s owners. The food was coming the College Football Playoff Foundation (CFPF), which already promised a different meal, and not from the infamous chain itself.

Corbett’s statement explained the decision about as respectfully as anyone could have done.

“Out of respect to our LGBTQ staff, we have chosen to not serve Chick-Fil-A at an employee lunch. The #1 rule at Lusher is to ‘Be Kind’ and we live this motto every day,” Corbett said. “Chick-Fil-A has been politically outspoken about its views, and we feel it is not part of Lusher’s culture of kindness and community.”

The CFPF took it well, saying their only goal was to help out the community.

According to Tony Fay with the CFPF, this meal is one of several things the foundation is doing to leave a positive impact on the New Orleans community for hosting the Sugar Bowl and College Football Championship. According to Fay, the foundation will bring teachers food from another restaurant. He said he understands and respects their decision and is just “glad teachers will have a good lunch tomorrow.”

The CFPF helped out the teachers, and the school didn’t have to lend credibility to a restaurant whose conservative Christian owners have made it clear they oppose civil rights. No free food was turned down. No one appears to have been offended. (Though critics will inevitably complain by proxy.) Seems like a win-win for everyone that matters.

(Image via Shutterstock)

