Eat Mor Crow

You know things aren’t going well when Kermit the Frog tells you to buzz off. But that’s just one of the shin kicks Chick-fil-A has caught since its president blurred the line between his religious beliefs and one of the most laudable consumer businesses in America.

The backlash against Dan Cathy’s narrow characterization of marriage and families has come at drive-thru speed. In case you’ve been in a coma, Cathy touched off a firestorm with his assertion that a traditional man-woman pairing—“the biblical definition of the family unit”—is also Chick-fil-A’s read of what a married couple should be.

The inference: The family oriented chain doesn’t see much legitimacy in same-sex commitments.

Here’s a quick rundown of public reactions thus far:

--The Onion reported to its avid fans that Chick-fil-A’s next menu addition will be the Queer Hatin’ Cordon Bleu, which the satirical paper describes as a “vehemently anti-gay rights sandwich.”

--A Facebook page has been created to spread the word that Aug. 3 is National Same-Sex Kiss Day at all Chick-fil-A restaurants. Invitations were sent via the social media service to 28,300 people, some 3,000 of which have already said they’ll participate. The idea is to scandalize the chain (and prove a same-sex kiss won’t draw divine retribution) by promoting lip locks that day between bites of waffle fries and chicken sandwiches.

--Television personality and former U.S. Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee has declared Aug. 1 as Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day. The subtext is that a company can have its own views on same-sex marriage and family values.

--Boston mayor Thomas Menino has publicly pledged to block development of a Chick-fil-A in a tourist-trafficked section of the city.

--Sitcom stars Ed Helms (“The Office”) and Michel Urie (“Ugly Betty”) have used Twitter to voice their disagreement and disapproval of Cathy’s assertions and Chick-fil-A’s position.

--Then there’s the cluck-you from the Muppets, whose characters were among the giveaways included in Chick-fil-A kids’ meals. Jim Henson Co., the Muppets’ puppet master, cancelled the deal and said any proceeds its gotten so far will be donated to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

Chick-fil-A has tried to conduct some damage control, declaring on its Facebook page, “The Chick-fil-A culture and service tradition in our restaurants is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect – regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender.

“Going forward, our intent is to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena.”