Denver City Council Stalls Chick-fil-A Approval Due to Gay Marriage Stance

St. Truett Cathy, the founder of the Chick-fil-A restaurant chain, died Monday at the age of 93. | Reuters

City Council members in Denver, Colorado are receiving criticism for reportedly stalling the concession agreement of a Chick-fil-A restaurant for the Denver International Airport due to the fast food chain's stance on same-sex marriage.

Denver City Council members voted last week voted to stall a seven-year concession agreement for Chick-fil-A at the Denver International Airport after some City Council members argued that the restaurant chain CEO's previous statements on same-sex marriage pose a "moral" dilemma to approving their concession agreement.

According to The Denver Post, Councilman Paul Lopez described the Chick-fil-A situation as a "really, truly a moral issue on the city."

Three years ago, Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy made national headlines when he voiced his opposition to same-sex marriage due to his evangelical Christian beliefs. Cathy then said in 2014 that he regretted bringing his fast food company into social and political issues.

As "Fox and Friends Weekend" reports, Wayne Laugesen, the editorial page editor for the Colorado Springs Gazette, has questioned the sort of precedent being set for religious expression if the Denver City Council votes to reject Chick-fil-A's bid for a restaurant in Denver International Airport.

"Where does this lead?" Laugesen questioned to the media outlet over the weekend. "Does this lead to Christian city council members saying that they won't sign contracts and allow people to participate in the marketplace if they're atheists? Are we going to have Muslim council members saying that they don't want to allow Jewish CEOs to participate in the marketplace?"

"This is a very dangerous precedent. It is a blatant and flagrant violation of the First Amendment," Laugesen added.