Democratic lawmaker sponsors bill honoring anti-gay Salvation Army
Sen. Ross Romero introduced Senate Concurrent Resolution 6: “Concurrent Resolution Honoring the Salvation Army” in the Utah Legislature.
On the surface this seems like a nice thing to do, right?
The Salvation Army has been around for more than a century, ringing their bells and collecting donations during the holidays. They offer Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous treatment programs, and they provide food and clothing to homeless people.
Unless, of course, you’re an LGBTQ homeless person. In that case, you’re a sinner and you need to become worthy to receive assistance from the Salvation Army.
Before the religious community gets its collective knickers in a twist (again) because they perceive an insult coming, let me be clear about a few things:
- I firmly believe in the First Amendment, religious groups have the right to believe as they will.
- Religious institutions also have the right to express that belief however they choose, so long as they don’t harm anyone else.
- That freedom doesn’t excuse homophobic and discriminatory practices – you have the right to do it, but it doesn’t make it right.
The Salvation Army has spent a pretty hefty amount of its donations on lobbying activities designed to infringe upon the rights of LGBTQ people around the world. In 2001 the church tried to get the George Bush White House to draft a resolution that would allow them to ignore local non-discrimination ordinances designed to protect LGBTQ citizens from discrimination in employment matters. The Bush administration admitted that the church was seeking the resolution after lawmakers and civil rights activists revealed their resistance to non-discrimination laws around the country.
In 2004 the Salvation Army threatened to close all of their soup kitchens in New York City in protest of the city’s rule requiring all vendors and charities working with the city to adhere to all civil rights laws.
The Salvation Army is two things:
- A religion; and
- A bigoted religion.
I don’t care what they offer, what they do or what they’ve done, the government has no business passing a resolution to “recognize the Salvation Army of Utah…and commends the organization for its good works and service over the past 125 years.”
Just as religion has no business in government, government has no business in religion, especially one that is such an opponent of true equality.