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A new Chick-Fil-A restaurant on the UTPA campus in Edinburg was greeted by protestors on the first day of classes.

Students and staff all clamored to buy meals from the new restaurant early Monday afternoon.

But a small group of protestors has stationed themselves outside restaurant.

Both the UTPA Atheist Student Organization and the LGBT Alliance are circulating a petition to have the school close the Chick-Fil-A.

Working from behind a security fence, the group collected signatures from supporters.

Chick-Fil-A president Dan Cathy recently set off a firestorm of controversy and created a national debate about gay rights.

Cathy confirmed more than $3 million in contributions conservation and anti-gay groups such as the Family Research Council.

Chick-Fil-A, which is closed on Sundays, has always maintained itself as a Christian business.

In a previous statement, UTPA officials said the school “was surprised and disappointed by the comments made by Chick-fil-A’s president,” and that it opposes “discrimination in any form."