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Local Artist Says He Painted "Tastes like hate" on Chick-fil-A

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A Los Angeles-based artist has come forward to say he is the one who painted "Tastes like hate" and the image of a cow on the exterior wall of a Chick-fil-A in Torrance.Manny Castro spoke with The Huffington Post Friday to explain why he did the graffiti.

Castro, who is gay, says he was struck by the similarity of the outpouring of support for Chick-fil-A and the movement by Christians in the 1960s to maintain segregation. For Castro, it's a basic issue of rights:

"Everybody is entitled to free speech, but it seems like for the gay tribe, this is more of an issue of equal rights -- human rights," explained Castro. "I'm against what these people stand for, what this company stands for. They're trying to take away what little rights we already have."

He calls his graffiti "not that much of a crime" but rather "a protest."

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Like other protesters who have targeted Chick-fil-A recently, Castro is voicing an objection to the beliefs espoused by Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy, who recently went on record about his company's Christian principles, "traditional" family values, donations to anti-gay organizations, and opposition to same-sex marriage.

While Cathy's views aren't necessarily shared by every franchise owner or employee, Castro points out that the company takes in a share of the profits from all locations, and that Cathy chooses to give "millions away to people who are against rights for gays."

The vandalism, which was done in the style of Chick-fil-A's advertising, was removed in about an hour from the location at 18200 Hawthorne Boulevard. Unfortunately, while some are praising Castro for his bold actions, others believe he is demonstrating intolerance or harming the movement for same-sex rights by engaging in a criminal act. Police in Torrance say they are investigating the vandalism.