This is the time of year when the ubiquitous red kettles are popping up at shopping centers everywhere. Yet these pots, and the bell-ringers that accompany them, are not collecting money that will benefit the LGBT community. The Salvation Army, a Christian relief organization, has long had anti-gay policies, and doesn't deserve your support this holiday season. As Michael Jones, an editor at change.org, wrote in a post last year, "[W]hile the Salvation Army preaches charity work with one ring of the bell, they also happen to be selling a dose of homophobia with the other ring."
Indeed they do. On the organization's website, under "Position Statements," there is a section on homosexuality. It begins benignly enough: "The Salvation Army holds a positive view of human sexuality. Where a man and a woman love each other, sexual intimacy is understood as a gift of God to be enjoyed within the context of heterosexual marriage. However, in the Christian view, sexual intimacy is not essential to a healthy, full, and rich life. Apart from marriage, the scriptural standard is celibacy."
The statement goes on to note that "sexual attraction to the same sex is a matter of profound complexity." And interestingly, the Salvation Army points out that "whatever the causes may be, attempts to deny its reality or to marginalize those of a same-sex orientation have not been helpful." But the statement concludes that gays 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."
Basically, the Salvation Army takes a "love the sinner, hate the sin" approach, and while it says that its services are available to all who qualify, without regard to sexual orientation, the bottom line is that the Salvation Army has used its considerable reach and long history to fight against marriage equality and equal rights for all. It certainly does not meet its own lofty tagline, "Doing the Most Good."
In fact, in San Francisco, one could argue that the Salvation Army did not "do the most good" several years ago when it voluntarily gave up its city contracts to provide meals to seniors rather than comply with the city's landmark equal benefits ordinance. Thankfully, Project Open Hand stepped in and filled the void. It speaks volumes about the Salvation Army's own moral compass (or lack thereof) that it would rather give up a program that helps seniors than provide equal benefits for its employees.
It's also important to recognize that the Salvation Army is the second largest charitable organization in the United States and one of the world's largest providers of social aid, offering services like disaster relief and food and clothing assistance for the poor. Those are certainly worthy programs, but unfortunately, with its anti-gay philosophy, we cannot urge members of the LGBT community to support such endeavors.
There are plenty of other charitable organizations that do relief work and serve those in need without the homophobia of the Salvation Army. While they may lack the familiar red kettles and bell-ringers, they make up for it by working to further equal rights. If you're inclined to drop some coins into one of those red kettles, do some research and think twice.
RIP Elizabeth Edwards
Elizabeth Edwards, the wife of former presidential candidate John Edwards, lost her long battle with cancer on Tuesday. She was 61. Ms. Edwards was a different breed of candidate spouse, and nowhere was that captured more vividly than on June 24, 2007 when she came to San Francisco and spoke at the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club's annual Pride breakfast.
At the time, her husband was in the midst of his presidential campaign and did not accompany her to the city. But Ms. Edwards more than held her own and endeared herself to the LGBT community when she said that she was "completely comfortable" with same-sex marriage, a position that was at odds with her husband, who favored civil unions and stopped short of supporting marriage equality.
"I don't know why somebody else's marriage has anything to do with me," she said during a news conference with reporters after the breakfast. "I'm completely comfortable with gay marriage." She is believed to be the first spouse of a major presidential candidate to support marriage equality so explicitly.
During her remarks at the breakfast, Ms. Edwards touched on issues of concern to the LGBT community, including health care and poverty. "Our health care is in shambles," she said. "The LGBT community certainly knows and understands."
In spite of her personal battles, Ms. Edwards never wavered from her support of equal rights and she continued pushing for health care reform. The LGBT community has lost an important ally.