In 2019, Christian chicken chain Chick-fil-A had high hopes for expanding their chicken sammie empire to the U.K. Within months, they were out of business in the British Isles.LGBTQ+ protests overwhelmed the first of two locations, in Reading, just west of London, where a call for the company to cluck off over their support of anti-LGBTQ+ organizations resonated with Britons. A second spot the chain claimed was a pop-up in a posh hotel in the Scottish Highlands closed not long after. Related Chick-fil-A isnt going to be happy with this Texas restaurants new chicken sandwich Chick-fil-gAy is a Panko-textured filet with a slightly sweet taste, topped by two crinkle-cut pickles on lightly toasted buns, plus mayo. Hold the homophobia Now the chicken purveyor is back for a second British invasion and prepared to overwhelm the opposition with plans to open five stores simultaneously. This time theyre backed by a well-oiled PR team, and hope the imprimatur of a respected LGBTQ+ rights organization will help grease their way into Britons hearts by way of their stomachs. Global perspectives delivered right to your inbox Our newsletter bridges borders to bring you LGBTQ+ news from around the world. Subscribe to our Newsletter today That PR effort is already underway, as seen in an interview with Peter Backman, a retail food consultant, in The Telegraph, Britains conservative daily.I suspect that a bit of the steam has gone out of the LGBT thing, Backman told the right-wing outlet, staying ahead of the issue. There may be the odd protester, but if they have got armies of PR people laser-focused on that then I suspect it may be OK.The $20 billion chicken behemoth, privately owned and managed by the devout Cathy family from headquarters in Atlanta, plans to launch five chicken stores in 2025 across London, Liverpool, Leeds and in Belfast, Northern Island, where it will have two locations.Chick-fil-A predicts a $100 million investment in the U.K. over the next 10 years with 500 employees by 2027.The family-owned company has a long and ignoble history of supporting anti-LGBTQ+ organizations. Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A and the chairmans father, donated money to anti-gay groups like the Marriage & Family Foundation, the Georgia Family Council and the ex-gay therapy group Exodus International. As recently as 2017 Chick fil-Adonated $1.8 millionto the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a group that opposes same-sex marriage, and to The Salvation Army, a group withits own history of anti-LGBTQ actions.The company has faced repercussions for its donations, getting forced out ofcollege campuses and airports and protested in schools and in Canada. At the same time,conservatives made Chick-fil-A a symbolof their fight against LGBTQ+ equality.In 2019, the chicken hawkers announced they wouldreconfigure their charitable-giving guidelinesto exclude groups with anti-LGBTQ+ policies and promote a culture of belonging. The decision to backtrack after years of nonstop support from the religious right caused evangelical leaders and politicians to immediately attack the chain they had previously fought to defend so vociferously.Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor and Donald Trumps pick for Ambassador to Israel in his second administration, accused Chick-fil-A of surrendering to anti-Christian hate groups.Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), said the chain badly lost its way. The far-right caught up with Chick-fil-As DEI initiatives four years later when they declared the family-owned business had gone woke along with Bud Light and the raft other businesses targeted in the DEI backlash.Now the company is exploiting the fallout from their efforts at moderation in their push across the Atlantic.Bryan Malenius, a former chief of staff in the House of Representatives, is heading up the companys PR offensive.There are a lot of misconceptions about Chick-fil-A, Malenius told the Telegraph. If you look at our anti-discrimination policy and read through it, its very all-encompassing.The chicken spox held up the example of U.K. LGBTQ+ advocacy group Stonewalls support for the company as evidence Chick-fil-A had found its way.A rep from the nonprofit was quick to put the PR spin on support in perspective.We frequently have conversations with companies and organizations at various stages on their journey to becoming more inclusive workplaces for their employees, including those who are considering locations in the U.K., the rep said.We have had some recent conversations with Chick-fil-A about the training and services we could provide to support the company on this journey.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.