Last year we learned that LGBT activists in Texas had convinced the Powers That Be in San Antonio to ban the opening of a new Chick-fil-A outlet at their airport. The City Council took action because of the company’s alleged “legacy of anti-LGBTQ behavior.” But nothing in life ever comes easy, as the City Council soon learned. That decision prompted a rash of lawsuits on both sides, leading to nearly a year of legal wrangling thus far.

So what has all of this cost the city? Lawyers don’t work for free, and those legal fees can add up pretty quickly. In this case, they’ve already run up more than $300,000 in bills and more are still coming in. (Fox Business)

The city of San Antonio has spent at least $315,000 in legal fees after the city council voted to bar Chick-fil-A from opening a location in the San Antonio airport in March, according to calculations by KENS 5. The legal fees encompass two lawsuits and a federal investigation, and other invoices are pending, according to KENS 5… News of San Antonio’s legal fees comes shortly after Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy admitted in a letter to the American Family Association that the fast-food chain “inadvertently discredited” groups including the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes after changing its “giving strategy.”

Hoo boy. $315K in legal fees alone and there are still several investigations ongoing with other invoices yet to be received. How big is San Antonio’s budget these days? Granted, it’s sizable, but nobody can afford to just flush away cash in amounts that are quickly approaching a half million.

And all for what? To stop a fast food joint with a huge following from opening up a franchise at the airport. Good to see San Antonio’s elected leaders are really tackling the big problems.

The one question that’s never been answered in any of these cases is what specifically the chain has done that qualifies as “anti-LGBTQ behavior.” They serve every paying customer who walks in the door. They have no hint of discrimination in their hiring policies and plenty of LGBT people work at their restaurants. In fact, back in 2012 when all of this brouhaha began boiling over, a number of their gay employees published editorials on the subject.

Sure, they complained about the CEO and his Christian beliefs, but the one thing none of them said they were doing was quitting their jobs in protest. (At least the ones that I found.) They weren’t about to be fired because of their sexual orientation and nearly everyone needs their paychecks.

While we’re on the subject, since when is the municipal government supposed to be tinkering in the free market based on anything other than health and safety codes? As long as the company complies with EEOC hiring guidelines and the food is good, why do you care? Trying to shut a company down because the owner’s religious or political beliefs don’t conform with yours isn’t just a case of politicians picking winners and losers. It’s the process of blocking a legitimate, popular and highly successful franchise out of the free market. And it needs to stop.

But hey, San Antonio. You just keep running up those legal bills. I’m sure all of your woke taxpayers can afford it and won’t complain at all.