Chick-fil-A in Toronto targeted with graffiti that calls out connection to hate groups

The storefront of a Chick-fil-A restaurant in Toronto was recently tagged with graffiti that calls out the family-run chicken chain for its history of supporting anti-LGBTQ+ groups. 

The Chick-fil-A located at 336 Queen Street West was the site of the vandalism, in which the message "gay conversion camps" was sprayed across the exterior of the restaurant. 

Chick-fil-A has notoriously come under fire for its support of anti-LGBTQ+ groups in the past, and is no stranger to controversy surrounding its philanthropic practices. 

The opening of the first Chick-fil-A restaurant in Toronto in 2019 received widespread criticism and was marked by protests primarily led by local organizations like The 519. 

According to the Toronto-based organization, Chick-fil-A has given millions of dollars to anti-LGBTQ2S organizations, including "hate groups and proponents of conversion therapy, and continues to do so every year." 

S. Truett Cathy, a devout Baptist, opened the first Chick-fil-A in Atlanta in 1967, and had been known to make public comments opposing gay marriage throughout the years. 

There were reports that the restaurant's charitable endeavor, the WinShape Foundation, had donated millions of dollars to groups seen by LGBTQ+ activists as hostile, including The Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. 

In 2019, Chick-fil-A said it no longer funds the organizations, but that hasn't stopped calls for boycotts against the chain. 

Chick-fil-A currently operates five restaurants around the GTA, including the location in Queen West, and others at Yonge and Bloor, Yorkdale Shopping Centre, Scarborough Town Centre, and Vaughan. 

blogTO reached out to Chick-fil-A Canada regarding the incident of vandalism at its Queen West location, but did not receive a comment in time for this article.