Here’s what I know:

1. WinShape, the philanthropic arm of Chick-Fil-A, made donations to anti-gay groups.

2. Dan Cathy, President of Chick-Fil-A, made public statements regarding his stance on gay marriage.

3. The Cathy family owns Chick-Fil-A, and thus, the WinShape Foundation. Therefore, it is the Cathy family that is taking a stance against gays and gay marriage through personal statements and monetary donations via their company.

4. Chick-Fil-A, as a company on the whole, is made up of thousands of employees that may or may not hold the same views as the Cathy family. They’re probably earning minimum wage and working the job because it’s a job they could get and it helps them earn whatever money they need for whatever reason. All they want is to do their shift, get it over with, and go home with a paycheck. But through public protests, THEY’RE the ones that will most likely have to deal with the brunt of said public, even though they’re not the Cathy Family. If one doesn’t like what the company is doing, that person can choose not to eat there and leave their local store alone.

5. All the “negative” reactions to Cathy’s statements and WinShape donations essentially helped them earn a ton of money from people that support the statements and donations made by Cathy and WinShape, respectively. With every action there is a consequence.

6. If you like free speech, you can speak out against whatever you want, as long as you understand that people will speak out against you. Owners of companies will do what they want with their money, and so will you.

7. If you’re going to speak out against something, focus your speech against the appropriate parties. Heaping criticism and protest upon undeserving recipients rather than the actual, responsible parties helps convolute matters, spreads dubious accusations and/or false truths, and anger.