Atlanta, GA (AUG 1, 2012) – As proud veterans who keep our oath to defend the Constitution of the United States, American Veterans for Equal Rights supports Chik-Fil-A COO Dan Cathy’s right to make whatever kind of statement he wishes on his personal beliefs about the nature of marriage as a religious institution. However, AVER upholds as the core American belief the Equal Protection Clause, the statement in the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution which provides that “no state shall … deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” Marriage is a legal contract which defines a specific set of legal protections under the law.

The many thousands of American men and women who have given their lives while serving in the United States military took no oath to defend any religious dogma, but to our nation’s ideals of equal justice and liberty as clearly defined in the constitution.  While Cathy’s beliefs may to true to his particular religious faith, they certainly are not true to the United States Constitution, the one and only authority in the our great nation. AVER supports the rights of ALL families to be protected by the law of the land, and that includes same-gender families.  Patriots who love liberty have given their lives throughout America’s history to share our freedom with others.  We do not lock it away for ourselves as if it is a commodity to be hoarded for a few. Shame on Chik-Fil-A. Discrimination is a weakness of the fearful.  It is not a virtue, even when disguised as religious belief. And it certainly is not the characteristic of a brave people who shed their blood for “liberty and justice for all.”

Contact: AVER National President Danny Ingram averusa@yahoo.com