THE SALVATION ARMY:
Discrimination, Donations, and the Kettle Campaigns
An Alternative from Equal
Partners in Faith - http://www.us.net/epf/Coupon.htm
a press release from Equal Partners in Faith
(November 6, 2001) - The Salvation Army, the nation's
largest charity, is at the forefront of the news for rescinding a
decision allowing regional divisions to extend health insurance benefits
to the domestic partners of its employees. Before changing its mind, the
Salvation Army had claimed that the policy decision to provide extended
health insurance benefits to domestic partners, including those of the
same sex, was based on "moral and ethical reasoning". (See our
EPF Press Release at http://www.us.net/epf/pages/SalvationArmy2.htm).
Many progressive organizations have responded with a "boycott"
of the Salvation Army, putting "fake" dollars and notes into
kettles rather than money which would have gone to help the poor and
homeless. Additionally, certain Religious Right organizations have vowed
to match the fake bills with real money.
While each individual must follow her or his own conscience, Equal
Partners in Faith would like to offer an alternative to the fake dollars
and boycotts. Equal Partners in Faith has designed a coupon which
promises money to the Salvation Army, when, and only when, they stop
discriminating against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender
individuals in employment, and grant domestic partnership benefits to
same sex partners of employees.
This effort promises to give money rather than takes it away, to reward
rather than punish. The coupon is available for downloading and printing
at http://www.us.net/epf/Coupon.htm.
Please join us in this effort to see the Salvation Army become a
non-discriminatory employer by promising to give money when they truly
do make a "moral and ethical" decision to treat all people
equally.
Equal Partners in Faith is a national network of religious leaders and
people of faith committed to equality and diversity based in
Washington DC, that affirms and defends the equality of all people,
regardless of religion, race, ability, gender, sexual orientation or
gender identity, and actively opposes the manipulation of religion to
promote inequality and exclusion. Join us and help us promote a more
inclusive vision of religion and society. http://www.us.net/epf/SupportEPF.htm
Equal Partners in Faith
5 Thomas Circle
Washington DC 20005
1-888-304-5831
1-202-797-0111 (fax)
website: http://www.us.net/epf/
email: epfnational@aol.com
Circulated by Laura Montgomery Rutt, Director
