Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on Thursday applauded the University of Notre Dame for standing against ''cancel culture'' and allowing Chick-fil-A to open a location on campus.
''Big win! Great to hear Chick-fil-A is coming to Notre Dame. Well done to all the patriots at Notre Dame who stood up for Chick-fil-A and against Cancel Culture. Hope New York will follow your lead," Graham tweeted, in reference to New York state lawmakers pushing to keep the fast-food chain out of state rest stops.
In a statement, Notre Dame said it was looking forward to the opening.
''Notre Dame has examined the concerns surrounding Chick-fil-A's charitable giving, discussed them with company representatives, campus partners and students and believes that Chick-fil-A has responded to these issues in a satisfactory manner. The company's response can be found here.
''Our students have overwhelmingly expressed a desire to have a Chick-fil-A restaurant on campus, and we look forward to opening one early next year.''
A group of students and faculty had written a letter urging the university not to partner with the company because of its values, particularly its stance on LGBTQ issues.
''Over the past two decades, Chick-fil-A has donated significant sums to groups that oppose LGBTQ+ rights. From 2003 to 2012, the restaurant's charitable arm gave over $5 million to queerphobic groups, including groups supporting conversion therapy,'' they said. ''Despite public outcry and promises to halt anti-LGBTQ+ donations, in 2017 the donations to anti-LGBTQ+ organizations resumed, including the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the Paul Anderson Youth Home and the Salvation Army.
''In addition, Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy, who boasts a net worth of over $8 billion, pours his personal funds into anti-LGBTQ+ causes.''
Some lawmakers in New York have criticized the inclusion of Chick-fil-A in rest stops planned by the Thruway Authority and asked the agency to reconsider.
"New York State has long stood on the right side of history and supported the LGBTQ+ community, but this decision flies in the face of our progressive values and will undermine the progress we have worked to achieve," wrote Assembly member Linda Rosenthal.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.