Youth Empowerment to Act protest at Chick-a-Fil opening in Laguna Hills Thursday morning (GLAAD photo)
At a time when many of us are concerned about perennial apathy – here is a group of young people willing to get up very early to take a stand for LGBT equality. They join political leaders from Boston and Chicago who have taken a stand, too.
This is a cross-post of GLAAD’s blog on the event, to give them props, too. Please check out YETA’s Facebook page for more photos:
In the early morning hours of July 26, a group of youth gathered in Laguna Hills, California, to let people know that there are better dining options for those who support LGBT equality then a newly opening Chick-fil-a restaurant. Youth from Youth Empowered to Act (YETA) distributed fliers to inform potential customers of Chick-fil-a’s donations to anti-LGBT organizations. They also offered suggestions for alternatives to Chick-fil-a. GLAAD has been working with the group to secure media around the protest as well as their work to speak out about LGBT issues in their community over the past few months.
Because of the discovery of $2,000,000 in donations to anti-LGBT organizations and the recent anti-gay statements of Chick-fil-a’s CEO, media outlets were interested in what real people were doing and saying. The demonstration in Laguna Hills garnered significant media attention. All local media outlets were present, as well as many stories from mainstream, Christian and LGBT media.
The following video is from the Southern California NBC affiliate:
YETA started working with GLAAD when they began a campaign to support a Fullerton High School classmate who was disqualified from the school’s “Mr. Fullerton Pageant” for speaking about his wishes for marriage equality. They were guests at GLAAD’s Los Angeles and San Francisco Media Awards. With the help of GLAAD, they recently published a series of essays in the Huffington Post, describing what new anti-bullying laws in California could do for them.
GLAAD is proud of the YETA youth and the energy they bring to highlighting LGBT equality in Orange County, and beyond. We are also highlighting the Chick-fil-a Same-Sex Kiss Day. For a full list of Chick-fil-a actions, or to promote your own, please visit our Chick-fil-a action page.
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