San Jose politicians consider ways to make new airport Chick-fil-A 'gayest in the country'

A Chick-fil-A sign is seen above one of its restaurants on July 28, 2012 in Bethesda, Maryland. Chick-fil-A, with more than 1,600 outlets mainly in the southern United States, has become the target of gay rights activists and their allies after president Dan Cathy came out against same-sex marriage. less A Chick-fil-A sign is seen above one of its restaurants on July 28, 2012 in Bethesda, Maryland. Chick-fil-A, with more than 1,600 outlets mainly in the southern United States, has become the target of gay ... more Photo: Mandel Ngan, AFP/Getty Images Photo: Mandel Ngan, AFP/Getty Images Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close San Jose politicians consider ways to make new airport Chick-fil-A 'gayest in the country' 1 / 15 Back to Gallery

San Jose council members debated an unusual plan for the opening of a Chick-fil-A headed to San Jose International Airport next month: hanging a bunch of flags signaling LGBT and transgender solidarity around it, according to the Mercury News.

The fried chicken company's ownership and foundation has been criticized, as recently as last month, for donating to groups who take anti-LGBT positions, leading some cities around the country to halt plans to open new franchises.

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Members of the LGBT community around San Jose have been similarly vocal about the opening, leading Mayor Sam Liccardo to say he "simply didn't think enough" about the controversy. He also noted the city cannot block a business from opening based solely on an owner's political views. San Jose is already home to two Chil-fil-A locations.

Now, some local leaders are attempting to find a solution to the ordeal by adding, well, lots of rainbows.

Former county Supervisor Ken Yeager, a member of San Jose State University's political science department who heads the LGBTQ-focused political action committee and was the city's first openly gay councilman, said Tuesday he'd like to see flags placed near the storefront "as a counter-signal to the discrimination supported by Chick-fil-A."

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But Councilman Raul Peralez suggested going further, by hiring LGBT workers to make it the "gayest Chick-fil-A in the country."

The city council broadly supported the ideas — in particular, they endorsed adding flags near the store — but in the end, this Chick-fil-A location may be short-lived anyway. City organizers voted to withhold a proposed two-year contract extension from 2026 to 2028 for airport vendors that do not open every day. That would directly affect Chick-fil-A; the company is famously not open on Sundays.

Alyssa Pereira is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at apereira@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @alyspereira.

