Do NOT give a dime to the Salvation Army this holiday season - instead, give to another pro-gay charity, like Big Brothers, Big Sisters.
SALVATION ARMY IS A FAR-RIGHT EVANGELICAL CHURCH
The Salvation Army is anti-gay and actively lobbies against pro-gay legislation in the US and abroad (I provide lots of evidence for this below). The money you put in that red can is going to anti-gay evangelical Christian lobbyists. They believe that since they're a "church" they have the right to not hire gay people because we're sinners. Great, well this sinner gives his money to real charities this holiday seasons, and not to anti-gay evangelical churches who lobby the White House and foreign governments to take our rights away (see articles below).
GIVE THE SALVATION ARMY THESE VOUCHERS INSTEAD
The pro-gay religious group Soulforce has made vouchers available that you can drop in the Salvation Army drop boxes instead of cash. You can find the vouchers here, and be sure to send these to your friends:
http://thelist.c.tep1.com/maabK6haa2S5Gb4Efmsb/
SALVATION ARMY'S HISTORY OF ANTI-GAY DISCRIMINATION
And don't be fooled by the Salvation Army's crafty public relations
spin on this issue. They like to trick folks by saying "we don't
discriminate in the provision of our services." True enough, you can shop at a Salvation Army store to your heart's content. But they DO reserve the right to discriminate in hiring, promoting, and firing gay people, and in the benefits they provide their employees. And they come right out and admit that "practicing homosexuals" are not welcome in the "church."
SALVATION ARMY TRIED TO OVERRULE LOCAL GAY RIGHTS LAWS
A Washington Post front-page expose two years ago revealed that the Aalvation Army tried to broker a backroom deal with the Bush Administration to overrule state and local laws banning anti-gay discrimination in the workplace. Here's an excerpt from the Post article:
"The Bush administration is working with the nation's largest charity, the Salvation Army, to make it easier for government-funded religious groups to practice hiring discrimination against gay people, according to an internal Salvation Army document.... George Hood, a senior official with the Salvation Army, said the group never discriminates in delivering its services, but on the question of hiring gay employees, 'it really begins to chew away at he theological fabric of who we are.'"- Washington Post, 7/10/2001. You can read the entire Wash Post story here.
And here are a few beauts from the Salvation Army's various Web sites around the world:
"Christians whose sexual orientation is primarily or exclusively same-sex are called upon to embrace celibacy as a way of life. There is no scriptural support for same-sex unions as equal to, or as an alternative to, heterosexual marriage." - Salvation Army USA Web site, Dec. 2003
"[Homosexual activity is] as rebellion against God's plan for the created order.... Homosexual practice, however, is, in the light of Scripture, clearly unacceptable. Such activity is chosen behaviour and is thus a matter of the will. It is therefore able to be directed or restrained in the same way heterosexual urges are controlled. Homosexual practice would render any person ineligible for full membership (soldiership) in the [Salvation] Army." - Salvation Army Australia Web site (emphasis added)
Instead of giving money to the anti-gay Salvation Army, why not give to Big Brothers, Big Sisters (BBSS) instead - BBSS got a lot of heat for permitting gay and lesbian big brothers and big sisters, we ought to thank them for it. You can donate to BBBS here.
Or, give to any gay or gay-friendly group of your choice. There are lots of needy organizations out there who aren't run by folks actively trying to take away our civil rights.
SALVATION ARMY'S ATTACK ON GAYS IN CALIFORNIA
And if all that weren't enough, read here about how the Salvation Army headquarters rescinded domestic partner benefits in California because they were going to gay staff:
http://thelist.c.tep1.com/maabK6haa2S5Lb4Efmsb/
