“As I’m sure you know, the Salvation Army actively supports the ban on gay marriage,” a Stranger reader e-mailed me last week. “My boyfriend and I were discussing how unfortunate that is, because the people ringing the bells are everywhere, but I can no longer give them money. And yet I don’t think it’s fair to tell off the bell-ringers (who may have no idea and who have been given a much-needed job by this charity).”

The Salvation Army does more—and it does far worse—than merely supporting the ban on gay marriage. Barack Obama supports the ban on same-sex marriage, if not DOMA. (It might be fairer to say that Obama isn’t an opponent of marriage equality, he just plays one on TV.) The Salvation Army has lobbied to prevent federal money from going to cities or states with LGBT antidiscrimination laws and, even worse, it goes out of its way to discriminate against vulnerable LGBT people during moments of crisis.

“When a former boyfriend and I were homeless, the Salvation Army insisted we break up before they’d offer assistance,” writes gay blogger and activist Bil Browning. “We slept on the street instead and declined to break up as they demanded.”

Browning’s experience isn’t unique: “Three years ago, one of my community college students became homeless during the semester,” Slog commenter greendyke wrote last month. “The only shelter in our Midwestern capital city with any openings for women and children was a SA shelter. This lesbian household was told they had two choices: One of them could live on the street and the shelter would take the other mom and the kids as a ‘family,’ or they could all sleep on the street… [That] evil organization will never get a cent of my money.”

Plenty more people have posted online testimonials of the Salvation Army’s bigotry and sadism in action in California, Texas, and other states.

Officially, the group claims that its services “are available to all who qualify, without regard to sexual orientation.” But Salvationarmyusa.org—in a section titled “homosexuality”—says that church services are restricted to those “who accept and abide by the Salvation Army’s doctrine and discipline.” And that discipline, apparently, doesn’t allow for gay people to have partners and families.

Or food and shelter, if the Salvation Army can help it.

How does the Salvation Army respond to these charges of discrimination? “An individual’s sexuality is simply not a factor in whether or not we provide service,” insisted Lt. Colonel David Hudson, chief secretary of Salvation Army’s USA Western Territory, in an e-mail. While he acknowledges that the group is “an evangelical part of the universal Christian church,” Hudson continues, “any instance of discrimination is in direct opposition to our core beliefs and is against all of our policy.”

Uh-huh. The examples of the Salvation Army advocating against civil-rights protections are legion, as are individual stories of anti-gay cruelty.

“It’s amazing to me that so many Christians have chastised me for advocating that people avoid the red kettles by claiming that it will hurt homeless and hungry (straight) people,” Browning says in an e-mail. “They overlook the fact that the Salvation Army discriminates against LGBT people and has threatened to close soup kitchens in many cities if required to abide by nondiscrimination laws.”

And the money you refrain from tossing into the Salvation Army’s red kettles? Donate it to charities that don’t discriminate. “There are plenty of secular charities like Toys for Tots, Goodwill Industries, and the American Red Cross that could use the extra cash and don’t discriminate against LGBT people,” writes Browning.

Or you could give to Northwest Harvest. recommended

28 replies on “Don’t Donate to the Salvation Army”

  1. “An individual’s sexuality is simply not a factor in whether or not we provide service,”
    My ass! A friend of mine, with a severe meth addiction and no insurance, was turned away for treatment based completely on his sexuality. He asked if they would accept him if he swore to abstain from any sexual contact or behavior during his stay in the program. He was desperate for help and willing to do anything. They firmly told him that their core beliefs and his core beliefs did not match and they could not help him.
    Thankfully, he was able to find help elsewhere, but he almost died in the process.
    Fuck Salvation Army. I’m sure they help a lot of people, but until they are willing to help ALL people, I will not give them my money.

  4. was in SA shelters. didn’t witness any discrimination. the lesbian, bi, trans clients were promptly and appropriately defended by staff when other clients were homophobic and intolerant. the mentally ill, disabled, elderly, clients of all faiths were safe and supported. hiv, aids positive clients too.

  5. In the bible Jesus spent all of his time with prostitutes, tax collectors (who were despised and crooked), sinners, lepers, and all sorts of “untouchables” because that’s who needed him the most. So if homosexuality is a “sin” according to the salvation army, then wouldn’t they want to reach out to LGBT people with god’s love just like Jesus did? If you call yourself a Christian then you should act as Christ acted. There’s a quote I memorized as a child, “the single greatest cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, and then walk out the door and deny him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”

  6. Ahhhhhh…. does the American Red Cross not discriminate against LGBT people? I vaguely remember a time when gay dudes couldn’t donate blood unless they’re celibate. When was that? Today?

  7. AveryTurnstyle – The reason they cannot donate blood is purely a medical safety measure. Gay men are simply at a higher risk of contracting HIV and since HIV can take a while after a person is exposed to show up on any kind of test, it’s in the Red Cross’s best interest not to accept blood donations from gay men.

  8. @averyturnstyle
    Unfortunately that is because of the fact that HIV was, I don’t know if it still is, statistically more prevalent in gay men and IV drug users. You also can’t donate blood if you’ve had sex with someone, in the past year, who has EVER used IV drugs, or if you lived in the Mediterranean region in 80’s. It’s not a matter of discrimination, it’s a matter of protecting the blood supply. In time, they will likely lift the ban against gay men, but for now, it’s only because of the HIV risk. But they wouldn’t hesitate to render aid to a LGBT person or to give them blood as needed.

  9. My gosh 96% of the world is evil according to the LBGTQRPLMASDFG…. community. THE WORLD IS EVIL!! I get it. I am so sick of gotcha questions and gotcha reactions by the LBGTQBFJDUBDUJDDNDI…… community.

    My gosh. Its the love that won’t STFU!!!!

  10. There are so many other options. Take $20 to the health aid at the nearest elementary school. She/he can turn it into clothing for a poor child – always known to the office people. Find a pet rescue organization and take them money. Who feeds the homeless in your community? Take money or buy soap or towels and take them by.

    There’s simply no reason to give funding to hate groups. I put my last coin in a red kettle when they “won” the court case allowing them to refuse to hire gays. Their Christ would be appalled.

    I’m with you, Dan.

  11. My mom worked for the Salvation Army for over 12 years, so I’m well acquainted with the organization. Anti gay? Yup. Corrupt? Yep. Thievees? Yep. I wouldn’t give ANYTHING to them – not money, not used clothes, not anything. Where I live, you now have to bring in a pay stub to “prove” you really need help, they will NOT deal with homeless people unless those people show up during business hours with all the appropriate paperwork, and they’ve done away with EVERY program they had. Now, it’s food box or nothing. No rehab. No bus tickets. No food. Nada. Even though almost all the grocery stores in town still donate to them exclusively. Wonder where all that stuff goes?? And, to put the cherry on the sick sundae, when my mom (and I) worked there during the holidays, the officers routinely STOLE donated toys and other items that they or their children wanted. Truly, I want NOTHING to do with this organization. I give my money to the local animal shelter and competing food bank (which the TSA has repeatedly tried to shut down to get rid of the competition).

  12. thank you for the information, Dan. I always give a few bucks going in and out of Fred Meyer during the holidays. Now I’ll just say “Hi” and “thanks” but won’t donate. Northwest Harvest, all the way!

  14. Do stores have to give permission to the Salvation Army folks to stand in front of their buildings? Maybe there’s a way to get the bell ringers removed.

  16. @6, 7, 8:

    Ahhhhhh…. does the American Red Cross not discriminate against LGBT people? I vaguely remember a time when gay dudes couldn’t donate blood unless they’re celibate. When was that? Today?

    Please, don’t blame the Red Cross for turning away gay blood donors; they are merely abiding by federal law. No matter where you donate blood in the US, you’ll run into the exact same prohibition. In 1985, the FDA banned men who have sex with men from donating blood, in an effort to prevent the blood supply from being tainted with HIV/AIDS and hepatitis. The Red Cross opposes the ban, but has no choice but to abide by it.

    Unlike the Salvation Army, the Red Cross truly is a worthy charity. Please don’t refuse to support them out of a mistaken belief that they are homophobic.

  17. @6: Actually, the Red Cross won’t take the blood of any man who has sex with a man since 1978, celibate or not. The list of people that the Red Cross will not accept blood from–in spite of the fact that all samples are tested for HIV anyway–is long and ludicrous. They also won’t take the blood of any woman who has had sex with a man who has had sex with a man. I know, because I used to donate blood despite serious reservations about the Red Cross’ politics. I’m O Positive, the universal blood type, and I figured that it was more important to help people than to get into a political stand-off with the Red Cross. Whelp, they made that move for me when I informed them that my male partner had slept with a (trans)man. They will no longer accept my blood.
    @7 & 8: You’re both full of shit. Ten seconds of research would have revealed that the fastest growing demographic group of people with HIV/AIDS in the world is women of childbearing age who sleep with men. I’ve yet to hear anybody propose that we ban young, straight women from donating blood.

  18. Sally Ann has a bad habit of making a person feel worse about being poor and homeless, and they sure are happy watching those in that situation grovel and lick Jesus’s asshole to get help.

  19. Dan’s endless apologizing for Obama is pathetic. He’s not an opponent, he just plays one on TV? He’s the most powerful man in the world – and he’s let it be known loud and clear that he doesn’t think gay people should have equal rights… he is a HUGE opponent of equal rights – his lack of courage is more harmful than all the Rick Santorum’s of the world.

  21. never been asked by anybody what my sexual preference was save for my mother?

    America is full of ass hole idiots with no fricking morals or guts or righteousness so if your flinching at lying about your sexuality your obviously a immigrant.

    If asked I would probably answer I am not sure but I really get turned on by pituitary glands ;p.

    As these articles always lead to some creepy FBI attempt to frame some pissed off disillusioned illiterate halfwit into hating Jesus and or targeting the entire christian world lets just boil it down to do not support anybody who dose not support everybody.

    your government decides what you wear what you watch and what you learn and that’s why you cant afford a education or help or medical or anything?

    civil rights are civil rights and prejudiced hate filled churches are your governments fault and they get big Republican endorsements to be not much less than Nazi’s who openly spread hate for People they do not approve of.

    Jesus loves you? that specific Church or specific person or in fact that Gay community may not and may not lift a finger to help your ass.

    as for giving blood it seems again more of the FBI creepy freaky tales of un belivable B/S that you hear from the twisted minds at the local bar just yacking to be the Pseudologia fantastica creeps they are and Washington State is full of of these creeps?

    I guess some feel its fun to be stupid and full of shit? Republicans ! who the hell needs them.

  22. Who the fuck would defend any one, or any organization that discriminates? How would these brain damaged republiturds feel if the policy was “we don’t serve Baptists because they are retarded inbreeds?” Or better yet, “we don’t feed catholics because these heathens worship a nazi in a dress” See? Discrimination is ugly, irrational and indefensible however you state it. (But that nazi in a dress thing is pretty accurate.)

  24. Also, as they say, they are “an evangelical part of the universal Christian church” that uses your money for direct evangelism in addition to lobbying for Christianist public policy. I always DO tell the people ringing the bells what their organization is supporting, in the hopes that they might not solicit for them any more.

  25. @17 like #20 said, the universal blood donor type is O negative. So don’t brag.

    The Red Cross, on the matter of blood donors, does not discriminate against gays more than against everyone who’s at higher risk of blood-transmitted diseases, or who may have not quite pristine blood. Other blood collects do just the same.

    Last time I tried to give blood, I was told that a strictly heterosexual person who had changed partners in the last 6 months or 1 year couldn’t give blood. Nor could anybody, regardless of sexual activity, who had gone to the dentist in the past week. Nor could someone who had been recently ill, or who was currently taking medicine. The list goes on an on.

  26. They also sometimes won’t help people unless those people pray before meals or watch a stupid Jesus video, etc, so they discriminate against atheists as well. Sometimes a group says its helping people when the real goal is to push a religious agenda. If you want to help people, just help them – no agenda!

  27. I was raised in The Salvation Army church and finally ended up working as a social worker. Never turned away anyone that needed help – encouraged everyone to come to church. Maybe some people may be confusing attending the church for joining the church. The Bible pretty much tells the story about any sinner joining the church = can’t happen until the sinner repents (that included me) – but the Bible tells us to help all people with their basic needs – The Salvation Army I know does that. It may be worthwhile for people reading these blogs to call their local Salvation Army or any other charity that tries to help people to see exactly what they do before making a decision on whether they are good or bad.

  28. Gee Darby, I dont think I need to call the salvation army about this. I dont think there would be this many people so angry about a charitable organization without cause.

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