If you’ll allow me to turn your attention back to an issue that you probably thought was over and done with a couple weeks ago, I’d like to point out that the public reaction, however dichotomous, to Chick-fil-A’s president stating that he supports the biblical view of marriage is starting to have a number of effects.

The GOP has removed Chick-fil-A from the menu at its upcoming convention in Connecticut, several schools have removed Chick-fil-A from their campuses or stopped contract negotiations to get them onto campus, and many more schools are protesting against their campus Chick-fil-A’s.

The other side of the reaction, led by Mike Huckabee, was to spend a day in line at Chick-fil-A, likely taking photos of the food and posting them to various social media sites, in order to show appreciation for Chick-fil-A’s continuous philanthropic efforts.

We won’t be able to judge accurately just how much of an effect this public outcry and these demonstrations will have on Chick-fil-A until an extended period of time has passed and we can view their financial standing over time. It would be even more difficult to judge accurately the effect that these demonstrations and public outrage have had on the percentage of the population who oppose gay marriage. I will offer a guess, though, and say that virtually no one’s opinion on the matter has actually changed.

That’s the biggest issue to come out of this entire Chick-fil-A fiasco. We’ve come to another standstill where nothing is changing, regardless of two opposing factions who both want to change the status quo. The president of Chick-fil-A spoke his mind, and what should have ensued is open and respectful conversation. The president’s likely ultra-Christian and conservative background should have been taken into account and his views should be respected as somewhat legitimate. You may not agree with them, and I may not agree with them, but his views really aren’t intended to be anti-gay as much as they’re intended to be pro-family. If you’re a liberal, this may seem like I’m trying to get you to identify with Voldemort because his stance on wizarding blood was pro-magic instead of anti-muggle/mixed blood, but I assure you this is not the same thing.

The one thing that public figures have likely learned from this is that, if you own a business or have anything to lose, it’s best to keep your opinions and views to yourself. That’s the worst thing that could happen, because it’s free and open speech that changes things for the better. I firmly believe that change will happen more expediently as soon as both sides begin to respect what the other is saying. So end the embargo on Chick-fil-A, and begin writing to your district officials, or going to county/city meetings and beginning discussion about Amendment One. If change is to happen, it will start with people caring enough to discuss the issue with the people that oppose them, not by removing the chicken sandwich from your diet.