NYC Mayor Pushes to Boycott Chick-fil-a over Traditional Marriage

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and other city officials want New Yorkers to bypass a Chick-fil-a.

The restaurant chain plans to open its first location in Queens at Queens Center Mall this fall.

The Democratic mayor does not agree with the Atlanta-based restaurant's decision to support Christian organizations that stand for traditional marriage and oppose same-sex marriage.

"I'm certainly not going to patronize them, and I wouldn't urge any other New Yorker to patronize them," De Blasio said. "But they do have a legal right."

Chick-fil-a first arrived in the Big Apple last October and already has three restaurants in Manhattan. It plans to expand throughout New York City.

"This group imparts a strong anti-LGBT message by forcing their employees and volunteers to adhere to a policy that prohibits same-sex love," Councilman Danny Dromm, who is openly gay and leader of the New York City Council's LGBT Caucus, said in a statement on the opening of the Queens location.

"It is outrageous that Chick-fil-a is quietly spreading its message of hate by funding these types of organizations," Dromm said.

However, a Chick-fil-a spokeswoman told DNA Info the company has 80,000 employees that hail from all different beliefs and backgrounds. She emphasized the restaurant chain's focus will stay on great service and food.

"The Chick-fil-a culture and service tradition in our restaurants is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect -- regardless of their beliefs, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender," she said.

She also said the company donates to groups across the city, including Harlem RBI, an organization that helps inner-city youth, and New York Cares, which meets the needs of the community by mobilizing volunteers.

Chick-fil-a President and CEO Dan T. Cathy's pro-traditional marriage stance has led to protests and boycotts of the company by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights activists. But counter-protesters have rallied to support the company by eating at restaurants.