Chick-fil-A Fans and Kissing Gays Descend on Restaurant

It's not advertising or money-saving coupons that have business booming at Palm Harbor's . The tiny fast-food restaurant on U.S. 19 appears to be attracting customers because of a controversy about gay marriage.

"It's been much busier today than usual," said a cheerful worker at the restaurant's walk-up window Friday afternoon.

Gay rights organizations planned a nationwide "Same Sex Kiss Day" Friday, encouraging gays across the country to go to a Chick-fil-A and kiss. The move was in response to Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy's comment to The Baptist Press that his company supports "the biblical definition of the family unit."

The line of cars waiting to go through the Palm Harbor Chick-fil-A drive-thru was so long on Friday afternoon, it snaked around the entire restaurant and extended into the driveway that leads to the shopping complex where the restaurant is located. 

"Ben," who did not want to give his last name and did not want to be photographed, stood outside in the scorching Florida heat waiting to buy lunch at the walk-up window.

He says he agrees with the beliefs of Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy. "I personally believe that the Bible states very clearly in the Book of Genesis that marriage is between one man and one woman." 

Ben dined at the restaurant Wednesday and returned again on Friday. He speculated that Friday's long line of cars contained people with similar beliefs.

"I wanted to show more support for Chick-fil-A. I was also here Wednesday, it was a great peaceful event. No protesters and there were plenty of people hanging around. The lines were packed all day. It was just a great thing to see," he said.

Shortly after Ben got his lunch, two men walked up to the window and deliberately kissed in front of the teen-aged Chick-fil-A employee who was taking orders.

"Personally, it does not matter to me," the teen said smiling at the silver-haired men. She then complimented one of them, saying she liked his hairstyle.

The men, Tarpon Springs residents John Geraghty, 66, and Gary Claps, 60, have been together for 34 years. They married in New York earlier this year.

The couple went to a movie Friday morning and were out running errands in the afternoon, when they saw the Chick-fil-A restaurant and decided to stop by for a public display of affection.

"We saw all the publicity about the anti-gay stance that the Chick-fil-A establishment has and I just think that it's wrong. What's wrong with people just living their lives? Nobody's doing any harm and some people condemn it, it's really bad. To teach that to people is horrible," said Geraghty. 

"The fact that people preach bigotry and people preach hatred is terrible. People should just let people love who they want and marry who they want," said Claps.

The men say that they've come across plenty of people who support their lifestyle, including tourists they met at the "straight" hotel they stayed at during their honeymoon in Puerto Rico.

"More people came to congratulate us and to buy us drinks.  All these quote unquote straight people were so happy about the love that we have for each other. That's really what we want to portray here," said Claps.