Is the Salvation Army Anti-G@y? We’re going to talk about a question that has caused a lot of discussion and guesswork: Is The Salvation Army against g@y people?
Since its start in 1865 as the “East London Christian Mission,” this Protestant Christian church has grown into an international charity with the goal of saving the poor and needy by meeting their spiritual and physical needs.
The Salvation Army has more than 1.7 million members around the world and works in 133 countries, doing important things like running thrift stores, shelters for the homeless, and disaster aid efforts.
The group has its roots in the Wesleyan Holiness movement. It has its own unique military system and puts Christian values first.
Even though The Salvation Army does a lot of good, it has been in trouble for some things, especially how it treats the LGBTQ+ group.
Through looking into its past, structure, and activities, we hope to find the truth behind the internet rumors and conspiracy theories that have been going around for a long time.
Come with us as we look into the complicated relationship between The Salvation Army and the LGBTQ+ community and decide if these claims are true.
Is The Salvation Army Anti G@y?
People have been arguing and guessing for a long time about whether or not The Salvation Army is against g@y people. This is because of a number of events and comments that have affected how people see them.
As a Protestant Christian church and international charity that has been around since 1865 in London, the Salvation Army has a complicated past when it comes to how it treats the LGBTQ+ community.
An important part of the controversy is Title VII of the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964. This law lets religious groups like The Salvation Army ask people about their religious views when they hire them.
The company, which has more than 55,000 employees, says it doesn’t bias against g@y and lesbian people applying for most of its jobs. But events in the past paint a more complex picture.
In 1986, The Salvation Army fought hard against the Homosexual Law Reform Act in New Zealand. This law wanted to make homosexuality less of a crime.
In 2006, the group said it was sorry for the bad feelings its resistance caused, but the event still caused problems with the LGBTQ+ community.
The Salvation Army’s stand on giving domestic benefits to employees’ same-sex partners also caused a lot of debate. In 1997, the group turned down a $3.5 million deal with the city of San Francisco that called for giving these kinds of perks.
In 2001, The Salvation Army asked the Bush Administration to remove it and other religious groups from anti-discrimination laws. This request was turned down, which was criticized by LGBTQ+ rights groups.
Concerns were raised even more when the group spoke out against getting rid of Section 28 of the Local Government Act in the UK in 2000.
Section 28 said that local governments couldn’t actively promote homosexuality, and The Salvation Army’s public opposition to getting rid of it made people look twice.
In 2001, a big turning point happened when The Salvation Army Western Territory agreed to let workers in same-sex relationships get benefits from domestic partnerships.
However evangelical Christian interest groups were very against the move, and in November 2001, the organization took it back across the country.
Between 2010 and 2013, the Salvation Army’s policy statement on “same-sex” “sexual orientations” said that the Bible forbids sexual intimacy between people of the same sex, encouraging Christians who are primarily or exclusively same-sex to be celibate.
Later, it was said that the statement had been taken down in June 2012, and the group said that its stance on homosexuality was being looked at again.
Things like a bell ringer in Canada in 2012 carrying a sign that said “If you support g@y rights: please do not donate” and LGBT people being sent to conversion therapy groups in 2013 added to people’s worries.
People didn’t like it when the Salvation Army stopped supporting an Australian safe schools program that helped LGBT kids in 2016.
In November 2019, singer Ellie Goulding said she wasn’t sure if she should support The Salvation Army because she thought it had anti-LGBTQ+ views. This showed that the group and the LGBTQ+ community are still having problems.
To sum up, the question of whether or not The Salvation Army is anti-g@y is complicated by the fact that they have said and done things in the past that are at odds with each other.
Even though the group has said it doesn’t discriminate in hiring, a number of events and roles have caused controversy and made it harder for them to work with the LGBTQ+ community.
The ongoing conversation about The Salvation Army’s position on LGBTQ+ topics shows how important it is to be open and keep working to solve problems and build understanding.
LGBTQ Support Vs. Anti-G@y Lobbying in the Salvation Army: A Complicated Equation!
Critics say that even though some Salvation Army homes do help LGBTQ people, the group’s work to push back against LGBTQ rights is still a big problem.
In a recent opinion piece, it was said that some Salvation Army leaders follow the Bible’s traditional views on marriage. These views are shared by many Christian leaders around the world.
Even though the group helps LGBTQ people who are homeless by providing food and shelter, it is criticized for possibly supporting leaders with homophobic views that contribute to discrimination against the LGBTQ community as a whole.
Hudson says it looks like the Salvation Army talks from both sides of its mouth. Even though it provides important services to the LGBTQ community, it openly fights against marriage and other rights, especially when it comes to transgender issues.
This dual stance—giving help while continuing to push anti-LGBTQ policies—makes things more complicated.
A big problem is that LGBTQ kids are more likely to become homeless. In 2017, Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago released a report that showed LGBTQ young people are 120% more likely to be homeless than their straight, cisgender peers.
Homophobia in their families or towns is often to blame, which makes their high rates of homelessness even worse. Some people say that the Salvation Army’s mixed messages keep discrimination alive, especially among LGBTQ youth and transgender people.
Transgender kids already have a high rate of suicide, and the organization’s beliefs are seen as making things worse.
The argument is about the organization’s role in widespread discrimination against the LGBTQ community, especially against the most vulnerable members of that community. At the same time, it provides important services.
