Days after opening its first U.K. restaurant, Chick-fil-A announces it will close
Chick-fil-A opened the doors of its first United Kingdom restaurant Oct. 10, marking the popular but controversial chicken chain’s second location outside the United States as it seeks to expand internationally. Nine days later, the company announced that it will close the location within six months.
The news came as an LGBTQ group held protests outside the brand new restaurant at the Oracle Mall in Reading, denouncing the company’s opposition to same-sex marriage. A mall spokesperson told the BBC that the company would not be allowed to stay beyond its initial “six-month pilot period,” calling it the “right thing to do.” But Chick-fil-A said it had always planned to operate there for only a limited time.
Reading Pride, a U.K.-based LGBTQ advocacy group, announced its stance against the restaurant’s opening Oct. 14. In a statement shared on Twitter, the group said it was “staunchly opposed to Chick-fil-A setting up shop in the UK and certainly in Reading.”
French lawmakers to vote on giving IVF to lesbians, singles
France’s lower House of Parliament is set to adopt a bill that would give single women and lesbian couples access to in vitro fertilization and related procedures.
The vote on France’s bioethics bill, including measures on assisted reproduction, was held Oct. 15 at the National Assembly, where French President Emmanuel Macron’s government has a majority.
French law currently allows such procedures only for infertile heterosexual couples, leading many women to seek IVF access in other countries where they are legal.
Sandrine Rudnicki, 38, the single mother of a 10-month old, went to Denmark to conceive her daughter through IVF. She said she’s “delighted” that the procedure will finally be legalized in France because the current situation makes her feel that her family is “not accepted.”
The bill will then go to the Senate.
Jamaica Mayor Davis to challenge Pride ruling
Montego Bay Mayor Homer Davis will be challenging the Oct. 14 Supreme Court ruling that granted the gay-rights group Montego Bay Pride an interim order that allows them to rent the Montego Bay Cultural Centre for an upcoming event.
Davis, who believes the event does not square with the intended purpose of the center, declared that he will continue his effort to block the group from using the public facility.
“We have instructed our attorney to file an appeal,” Davis said in response to the Supreme Court ruling, which Montego Bay Pride has hailed as a victory for their cause.
When contacted for comment on his plans, a representative said that on the instruction of his lawyers, the mayor would not be granting any further interviews on the matter.
As was the case with the mayor’s initial decision, the Supreme Court ruling dominated discussions on the streets of the western city as numerous persons voiced support for the mayor.
Coca-Cola Fined for Ads With Same-Sex Couples
The Consumer Protection Department of Pest County in Hungary has fined Coca-Cola for its short-term poster campaign launched in early August, featuring same-sex couples, promoting acceptance. The organization alleges that Coca-Cola violated a section of the Advertising Act, which states advertisements that may damage the physical, mental, emotional or moral development of children and adolescents are not allowed.
Index.hu reported that one of their readers had reported Coca-Cola for their August advertisement campaign and received a reply from the Consumer Protection Department of the Érd District Office, in which they stated that proceedings had been initiated against the campaign of Coca-Cola featuring the”#loveislove” posters.
The governmental organization released a statement saying that they are paying “particular attention to the protection of children and minors and the restriction of advertisements damaging them to protect their emotional and moral development.” They also thanked the help of public reports, which help “in uncovering such advertisements.”
Coca-Cola said that they had received a fine of $1,775, as, according to the district office, these posters may impair the physical, mental, emotional and moral development of children and minors. In addition to the fine, the company was ordered to stop using advertising that could harm the development of adolescents. According to the soft drink company, they are negotiating on the next steps and asking for an appeal against the decision.
Reporting via Associated Press