Fresh from the heels of the popular Hardee's/Carl's Jr. promotion earlier this month promoting the new Spiderman flick by giving away free food to customers who came into locations dressed as the comic hero, Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A will offer visitors who dress up as a cow free food on Friday, July 13.

Chick-filet-A is calling the giveaway "Cow Appreciation Day," and will give a free meal to those who come into their locations dressed as a cow from “head to hoof.” Customers who come in wearing a cow-accessory, like a hat or tail, will be given a free sandwich.

Gay rights activists are hoping to use the promotion to draw attention to Chick-fil-A's history of political donations to anti-gay organizations and causes.

Jow Thompson, a writer with Gay.net, is calling on gays and lesbians to take part in the promotion to “take a little of that money back, and indulge your hankering for the company's signature chicken sandwich in the process.”

Some critics have questioned whether the protest idea is a worthwhile use of resources, including a few of Gay.net's website commentors:

“This makes no sense. WHY encourage people to go there at all? If people go there and get a free entree (from tortured chickens at that) people will still want to buy other things like a drink or side item. Just SAY NO to chick-filet-A alltogether.” – Anonymous

“Seriously, this is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Was this article written by the president of Chik-fil-a? Giving a free side dish will cost the company almost nothing. If you want to hurt Chik-fil-a, don't buy food there at all, ever.” – Anonymous

The fast food chain has taken heat in recent years for its political donations, including $1.9 million to Exodus International, the National Christian Foundation, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the Family Research Council, the Marriage and Family Foundation, and the Georgia Family Council in 2010, according to a recent article in the Advocate.

So what do you think, should gay rights protesters participate in Chick-filet-A's “Cow Appreciation Day” to stick it to the man, or is this protest a silly statement?