Does the salvaton army discriminate against gay people

Q: Can I donate to the. Officially, the Salvation Army states that it serves all individuals equally. The group, Busroe adds, does not discriminate against LGBT people in employment, nor does it discriminate based on race, religion, gender, or other characteristics.

More recently, one of its substance abuse treatment centers in New York City was served with a complaint by the city's Commission on Human Rights, charging it with anti-transgender discrimination in its intake policies.

Q: Does the Salvation Army discriminate against gay people today? It will not, says the venerable Christian organization's national spokesman, Lt. Ron Busroe -- but he's more concerned about another question that may be on the minds of LGBT people.

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The commission filed complaints in July against four centers, one affiliated with the Salvation Army. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. The Christian group has been hit with complaints for its treatment of LGBT people, but its spokesman says they help everyone.

Nor, he says, is there a requirement that the recipients of aid renounce an LGBT identity. He ended up volunteering for the organization and eventually became a staff member. But an AIDS clinic referred the man to the Salvation Army for social services, and he actually found a welcoming atmosphere there.

It does not say which violations of the city's antidiscrimination law occurred at which center. The Salvation Army eventually apologized, although not entirely to the journalist's satisfaction. Busroe declines to comment on the New York City complaint because it's an ongoing legal matter, but he tells The Advocate the Salvation Army's policy is to deliver services without discrimination against anyone, LGBT or otherwise.

The organization's record and policies regarding LGBT people have long been a subject of contention.

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However, the Salvation Army is a church as well as a social service organization, and one of the church's beliefs is that marriage should be limited to opposite-sex couples. However, skepticism persists, particularly regarding internal culture, hiring practices, and support for LGBTQ+ employees.

The complaints "charge the centers with gender identity discrimination for refusing to accept transgender patients and for discriminatory housing policies, including assigning rooms based on a patient's gender assigned at birth rather than their gender identity, subjecting patients to physical examinations, and forcing transgender patients into separate rooms," says a press release from the commission.

A few months ago, he says, he spoke to a man in New York who was reluctant to take assistance from the Salvation Army when he was diagnosed with HIV in the s, believing the organization would not welcome him because he's gay.

The organization was founded in in London by former Methodist minister William Booth and his wife, Catherine, as a "volunteer army" hence the military titles for leaders to deliver a Christian message and material assistance to the poor and disenfranchised who wouldn't come to a traditional church.

Busroe was pastor of a Salvation Army congregation in Atlanta for 21 years he's been with the organization for a total of 39 and will retire at the end of this yearand there were gay people among the members, likely with different opinions on the issue, he notes.

And it provides equal benefits to same-sex and opposite-sex spouses of employees. Some gay activists and journalists have accused the Salvation Army of anti-LGBT discrimination over the years, such as one who said the organization two decades ago ordered him to break up with his boyfriend if they wanted to receive services they were homeless at the time.

InThink Progress reported on more allegations of discrimination against trans people, this time at the Salvation Army’s substance abuse center in New York City. But they were welcomed there without reservation, he adds. Reports and experiences from former staff suggest that passive or systemic discrimination may still exist.

Past controversies In the past, Salvation Army leaders have sought exemptions from federal and state anti-discrimination laws designed to protect LGBTQ people. Today, it's still definitely Christian, but it provides its social services to people of all faiths and identities, without proselytizing, Busroe says.

These statements completely ignore the reality that the Salvation Army continues to maintain anti-gay theological stances, and continues to discriminate against its own employees and their partners. Busroe says nothing could be further from the truth.

The Salvation Army is the largest provider of drug and alcohol recovery services in the U. It serves about 25 million people in the U. He asserts that there is much misinformation about the Salvation Army on social media and elsewhere. The Salvation Army is an Equal Opportunity Employer and committed to providing a respectful environment for all applicants and employees that is free from unlawful discrimination or harassment based on age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, marital status, disability, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender.