Ellie Goulding is under fire for promoting the Salvation Army, an evangelical Christian organization that is anti-LGBTQ and anti-abortion.
“Supporting an anti-LGBTQ charity is clearly not something I would ever intentionally do,” the singer said, in a comment on one of her own Instagram posts.
Last week, the singer announced she was kicking off the charity’s 2019 Red Kettle Campaign during the halftime show at the Dallas Cowboys vs. Buffalo Bills game on U.S. Thanksgiving Day.
Goudling doubled-down this week by posting on Instagram a series of photos showing her volunteering at a Salvation Army shelter in New York City.
But when a fan pointed out the Salvation Army’s record on LGBTQ issues, Goulding responded: “Upon researching this, I have reached out to The Salvation Army and said that I would have no choice but to pull out unless they very quickly make a solid, committed pledge or donation to the LGBTQ community.”
With worldwide boycotts affecting Red Kettle campaign revenues and local toy drive donations, the Salvation Army – which calls itself a church – has aggressively countered accusations that it discriminates by scrubbing controversial policy statements and scripture from its websites.
Still, its official position statement reads: “Scripture forbids sexual intimacy between members of the same sex" and, according to its website, the organization has “joined other religious organizations in solidarity on issues like … the traditional definition of marriage."
In 2017, New York’s Commission on Human Rights charged a Salvation Army substance abuse treatment centre with discriminating against transgender persons.
The Salvation Army's record with women's rights is almost as controversial. In July, it published a position statement that "acknowledges with regret that Salvationists have sometimes conformed to societal and organizational norms that perpetuate sexism" but committed to treat men and women equally.
On abortion, the church maintains it is "unambiguous in its moral evaluation of elective abortion. Its international position statement on abortion claims that unborn human life is personal life; it bears the image of God and deserves to be protected and cared for."
The Salvation Army is just as firm about gambling, which it says "runs counter to Christian teachings about love, respect, self-control and compassion for others."
Last year, Meghan Trainor was slammed for her role in promoting the Salvation Army's annual launch of its Red Kettle campaign.