From Truth Wins Out:
Salvation Army’s Move Is In Line With Its New Anti-Discrimination Campaign
CHICAGO — Truth Wins Out commended The Salvation Army today for removing links to two notorious “ex-gay” ministries that it had listed as sexual addiction resources. The move is consistent with the organizations new campaign against LGBT discrimination.
“We thank The Salvation Army for acting swiftly and decisively in addressing our concerns about links to ‘ex-gay’ organizations,” said Truth Wins Out Executive Director Wayne Besen. “This is a step in the right direction and congruent with their anti-discrimination campaign. We hope this action leads to further progress in gaining the full confidence and trust of the LGBT community.”
Truth Wins Out’s Associate Director, Evan Hurst, reached out The Salvation Army this afternoon and expressed our concerns. As a result, the offensive webpage listing “ex-gay” programs was removed, and The Salvation Army responded with the following letter:
Dear Evan:
We sincerely appreciate you bringing this matter to our attention. As you know, The Salvation Army strives to live out our mission of meeting human need without discrimination. Our doors are always open to anyone who seeks our help, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation. We simply do not discriminate against the people we serve or the people we hire.
We have removed the page of referrals for sexual addiction centers. Truthfully this was an old page that had been archived but was reposted when we launched our new website last month. We apologize for our oversight and any confusion this may have caused. The Salvation Army does not consider homosexual orientation a sin. Please know that we serve anyone who comes to our doors without discrimination. To learn more about our work please visit http://salvationarmyusa.org/usn/nodiscrimination.
Feel free to contact me if you have any additional questions or if you would like to speak with Major Ron Busroe, our National Community Relations & Development Secretary.
Thanks again,
Jennifer Byrd
Director of Communications
The Salvation Army
National Headquarters
“Harvest USA and Pure Life Ministries are two destructive organizations dedicated to demonizing LGBT people,” said TWO Associate Director Evan Hurst. “The Salvation Army did the right thing today by removing these ‘ex-gay’ groups from its website before they could harm more innocent victims.”
Truth Wins Out (TWO) is a non-profit organization that works to demolish the very foundation of anti-gay prejudice. Our philosophy is simple: We attack the underpinnings of homophobia by debunking harmful lies, discrediting hateful myths, and countering anti-gay organizations. By chipping away at the underlying ignorance that fuels anti-LGBT attitudes, we can ultimately win our fight for fairness and achieve full equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people worldwide.
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