Gay activists counter Chick-fil-A with Starbucks appreciation day

Gay marriage activists are planning to swarm Starbucks on Tuesday in an attempt to counter the record sales from last week’s Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day.

The chicken chain enjoyed a surge of support during the Wednesday event, dreamed up by former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee after Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy went on the record backing the “biblical definition of the family unit.”

A follow-up protest from Chick-fil-A critics on Friday, which was dubbed Same Sex Kiss Day, was more subdued.

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Advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights are trying again Tuesday with National Marriage Equality Day, initiated by Equally Wed, a lesbian and gay wedding magazine. So far, nearly 28,000 people have signed up to attend.

The event was originally called National Starbucks Appreciation Day in honor of the coffee giant, which recently threw its support behind efforts to make gay marriage legal.

But several other holidays exist with the same name, including one created by gun rights groups. Starbucks’ corporate offices had nothing to do with those events nor with Tuesday’s planned gatherings.

According to Equally Wed, executives at the coffee chain had privately pushed organizers to include other companies that support same-sex unions -- such as Amazon.com and Nike.

“In an effort to heighten awareness for all companies and nonprofits contributing to the fight for marriage equality, we’ve decided to rename August 7 as National Marriage Equality Day,” according a description of the event on Facebook.

The page also lists dozens of other brands in the same camp, including Absolut Vodka, Google, Macy’s and Tiffany & Co.

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