To start - I support gay marriage, and have a gay son.
I have no issue with the owner of Chick-Fil-A stating his beliefs. As long as he doesn't try to force them on others. For his family / his church, etc., if they don't want to conduct gay marriages, no problem. That is his right.
I don't agree with him, and I'll never eat at Chick-Fil-A because of it. That is my right.
I don't agree that a mayor of a major city can stop a business from legally operating because he doesn't agree with the ownes' beliefs. Sorry, that's interfering with free enterprise. Let them build, and let the public determine if they can be profitable.
I also don't see how democrats can bill themselves as "tolerant" - when it's obvious they are "tolerant" only about what they believe in. I have to say, that many times I respect the right more than the left, because at least the right isn't hypocritical. The right will admit they are not tolerant of certain groups, while the left believes they are tolerant of everyone, while the truth is they are tolerant of everyone but the right!
Realize that people's belief systems are shaped by the paradigm from which they view life, and that is shaped by their experiences. It is nearly impossible to change those beliefs without changeing those experiences. Others aren't "idiots" or "uninformed" because they don't agree with your beliefs. When it becomes true hate speech, when you stray into the Fred Phelps of the world, yes, then I think we can agree that's not to be tolerated. But this man calmly and without malice simply stated his beliefs, the same way you or I may state that we support gay marriage, and why. I will not condemn him for that, although they are directly counter to my own.
I may not agree with what he says, but I will defend his right to say it.