A Reading shopping centre, part-owned by an investment company based in Abu Dhabi, caved in to LGBT demands to drop a US fast-food restaurant from renting premises, it was reported in October.
Owners of the Oracle centre in Reading will not renew Chic-fil-A’s six-month lease, claiming it is the ‘right thing to do’. In 2012 the restaurant’s CEO, Dan Cathy, stated that the company supported the ‘biblical definition of the family unit’. It donated money to Christian charities that support traditional marriage.
In a statement, the owners of the Oracle said, with no apparent hint of irony: ‘At the Oracle, we offer an inclusive space where everyone is welcome.’
When in Rome…
The joint owners of the Oracle, with Hammerson plc, are the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA). Board members for the ADIA include Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan (Chairman) who is the President of the UAE and ruler of Abu Dhabi. At least three others are officials within the Abu Dhabi Government.
Although laws against sexual relationships have not been enacted against foreign visitors to the nation, travellers are warned not to show affection in public, as it is socially unacceptable to do this in Abu Dhabi. Gay or unmarried couples will often not be allowed to stay in double hotel rooms. The law allows for the imprisonment of people who engage in sex outside of marriage, regardless of being male or female. Protestors who planned a series of campaigns outside the Oracle appeared not to have noticed these anti-gay laws, as they didn’t plan to boycott the entire shopping centre.
Roosting in Edinburgh
Chic-fil-A is reported to pay its workers double the going rate and closes on Sundays. Its mission statement is ‘To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us.’
There are plans to open a new branch in Edinburgh.
