Give elsewhere

LGBT community urges people not to donate to Salvation Army this year

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Wednesday, Nov. 30 — The Salvation Army bell ringers are outonce more seeking contributions. And leaders of the gay community are once moreencouraging people not to give.

Gay rights activist Bill Browning wrote on the LGBT blog TheBilerico Project last week, “The Salvation Army has a history of activediscrimination against gays and lesbians. While you might think you're helpingthe hungry and homeless by dropping a few dollars in the bright red buckets,not everyone can share in the donations. Many LGBT people are rejected by theevangelical church charity because they're ‘sexually impure.’”

Browning also writes, “If you care about gay rights, you’llskip their bucket in favor of a charity that doesn’t actively discriminateagainst the LGBT community.”

Earlier this month, a “Boycott the Salvation Army” groupappeared on Facebook saying that people should not donate to Salvation Armybecause the organization “is not only a charity, but an evangelical churchpromoting conservative Christianity and anti-gay politics.” The group has over3,000 likes.

But Captain Brian Davis, capital area coordinator for theSalvation Army, says a person’s sexual orientation has no bearing on whetherthey receive services from the organization.

“We don’t deny services to people who come in for Christmasassistance because of (their sexual orientation),” Davis said. “In terms ofemployment, in terms of services, it doesn’t have any impact because we don’task those questions.”

According to the organization’s position statement, which isposted on its website, “Scripture forbids sexual intimacy between members ofthe same sex. The Salvation Army believes, therefore, that Christians whosesexual orientation is primarily or exclusively same-sex are called upon toembrace celibacy as a way of life.”

Davis said the statement applies to the organization’sreligious denomination, not to the services it provides. He said any member ofthe church is expected to practice celibacy unless they are married because “webelieve that any sexual intercourse outside of marriage is not God’s best planfor us.”

“It’s not really in terms of services or employment,” Davissaid. “It’s really about the denomination, and it’s not uncommon amongdenominations in terms of that scriptural view.”

The policy does not prevent homosexuals from joining thechurch, Davis said, but they are expected to practice celibacy just like allnon-married heterosexual members are.

Even so, Equality Michigan, a statewide LGBT organization,is encouraging people to find other charities to donate to this year, such as Goodwill, the American Red Cross, Doctors WithoutBorders and Habitat for Humanity, Michael Gregor, the group’s communicationsdirector, said.

“We encourage folks to consider supporting charities that dosupport gay and transgender equality either thought their employment practicesor their social services practices,” Gregor said. “We’re troubled that theSalvation Army has its history of anti-gay activism and we’re grateful that itsbeen brought to light and that more people are aware of it.”

Gregor said the charities he mentioned do similar workcompared with the Salvation Army “without the anti-gay record.” While theorganization is not officially calling for a boycott of the Army, Gregor saidit encourages people to donate to charities that “don’t actively try to harmgay and transgender people in the way that Salvation Army has throughout theyears.”

“In our work in Michigan we’re always looking to monitororganizations and businesses and government entities that are actively workingagainst gay and transgender residents,” Gregor said. “It’s really important tous that more folks are aware of what businesses and organizations support gayand transgender equality and we’re encouraging more businesses to do so becauseit’s the right thing to do.”

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