Man Fired After Chick-Fil-A Protest

After an Arizona man filmed himself berating a drive-thru employee of a Scottsdale-area Chick-Fil-A, his clip went viral on anti-gay sites, prompting internet sleuths identify the man and track down his biotech employer who fired their CFO on the spot. From the company's press release:

Vante regrets the unfortunate events that transpired yesterday in Tucson between our former CFO/Treasurer Adam Smith and an employee at Chick-fil-A. Effective immediately, Mr. Smith is no longer an employee of our company. The actions of Mr. Smith do not reflect our corporate values in any manner. Vante is an equal opportunity company with a diverse workforce, which holds diverse opinions. We respect the right of our employees and all Americans to hold and express their personal opinions, however, we also expect our company officers to behave in a manner commensurate with their position and in a respectful fashion that conveys these values of civility with others. We hope that the general population does not hold Mr. Smith's actions against Vante and its employees.

A blogger for the Tucson Citizen denounced the firing.

We all know that the Chick-Fil-A appreciation day is all about supporting “the first amendment” and “free speech”. As long as the speech is anti-gay, of course. Otherwise it’s free speech for me but not for thee, at least at the Tucson company Vante. Adam Smith, Chief Financial Officer at Vante, on his own personal time and with no connection to his employer, Vante, took it upon himself to video his protest of Chick-Fil-A as “hateful” and post the video to YouTube. Mr. Smith’s actions were described as “bullying”, but I confess that I can’t find any bullying in his protest.What you think may depend upon the side you are on, but there is no doubt what side Vante is on. That “free speech” is such a tricky thing, it seems.

Smith deleted his video from YouTube, but it had already been mirrored. Commenters on anti-gay sites gleefully reporting on the incident claim Smith is gay, but on the clip he identifies himself as "totally heterosexual." A campaign to congratulate his former employer has been launched.


UPDATE: JMG reader Straight Grandmother tips us that Stand With Arizona has launched a complaint campaign to the company that fired Smith.