Burger King announced this month that it was taking a stand for LGBTQ rights and against fast food competitor Chick-fil-A. Burger King, around since 1953 and based in Miami, is known for its flame-broiled Whopper. But it has been battling Chick-fil-A and Popeye's for the chicken sandwich market for some time now.
The Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A has become known in recent years almost as much for its homophobia as its poultry. The company's CEO, Dan Cathy, has a long history of donating to anti-LGBTQ extremist groups. Most recently, The Daily Beast revealed that Cathy just donated to the Christian Charitable Foundation, which is fervently anti-LGBTQ.
So, Burger King presents an LGBTQ-friendly option: the Ch'King sandwich. Burger King will donate 40 cents for every sandwich it sells throughout Pride Month to the Human Rights Campaign. The offer caps out at $250,000 or 625,000 sandwiches.
The Ch'King is not Burger King's first effort at publicly showing LGBTQ+ support. Between The Lines reported in 2014 that Burger King released "The Proud Whopper." It was only sold in San Francisco's Market Street location but it was a sight to behold in its rainbow-colored packaging. Proceeds from The Proud Whopper went to the Burger King McLamore Foundation, a group that gives scholarships to LGBTQ+ high-school seniors. Burger King event went so far as to sponsor SF Pride.
"This is a community we love dearly and have proudly supported over the years," a Burger King representative told USA Today about the Ch'King. "So we couldn't miss an opportunity to take action and help shine a light on the important conversation happening."
