Meghan Trainor is raising eyebrows for agreeing to support the Salvation Army.
The pop star recently announced she will perform the Dallas Cowboys halftime show on U.S. Thanksgiving Day to kick off the Salvation Army’s annual Red Kettle campaign.
We’re so excited to announce that @Meghan_Trainor will be kicking off the 2018 Red Kettle campaign at the @dallascowboys halftime show on Thanksgiving Day. #FightForGood pic.twitter.com/5jcqNHpm2H
— Salvation Army USA (@SalvationArmyUS) October 13, 2018
Trainor’s support of the Salvation Army comes as a surprise to many of her fans because the religious organization has a long and well-documented history of discrimination against LGBT people and has controversial views on women’s rights.
In 2001, the Salvation Army U.S. asked that religious charities that receive federal funds be exempt from ordinances banning anti-gay discrimination because it did not want to extend benefits to same-sex partners of its employees. Three years later, it threatened to shut down its services for homeless people in New York City due to one of these ordinances.
Then, in 2017, New York’s Commission on Human Rights charged a Salvation Army substance abuse treatment centre with discriminating against transgender persons.
In 2012, it was a signee to an open letter from religious groups denouncing equal marriage as a threat to religious freedom and, in 2013, the Salvation Army removed links to “gay conversion therapy” resources from its U.S. website after complaints.
The organization has also fought against equal rights initiatives for LGBT people in New Zealand and opposed including sexual orientation in the school curriculum in Scotland. (In 2010, the Calgary chapter refused donations of Harry Potter and Twilight books and toys because they promote "black magic.")
@Meghan_Trainor love you!!! So talented. But were you aware the Salvation Army has a strong anti-LGBTQ policy? I’m a pastor & I can’t even support them. #kettlesatchristmas
— JLA (@jlalalovely) October 16, 2018
@Meghan_Trainor Do you know that the Salvation Army is anti-LGBT. They refuse to help gay people. This is very disappointing.
— Emma Keller (@eekfreak) October 13, 2018
With worldwide boycotts of the Red Kettle campaign affecting revenues, the Salvation Army has aggressively countered accusations that it discriminates by scrubbing controversial policy statements and scripture from its websites.
In Canada, the Salvation Army has a page on its website specifically addressing allegations of LGBTQ discrimination. It reads: “Our mission is to ‘share the love of Jesus Christ, meet human needs and be a transforming influence in the communities of our world.’ We do this without discrimination. All of our social and community services are equally available. We respond solely based on people’s needs and our capability to serve.”
Trainor has not responded to criticism of her support for the Salvation Army. In a “love letter” to the LGBTQ community earlier this year for Billboard, the singer wrote: “To the entire LGBTQ community, I love you with all of my heart, I appreciate you endlessly and I support you with all that I have and believe in. I am there for you as you have been for me.”
@Meghan_Trainor In case you didn’t know, @SalvationArmyUS has a long history of #discrimination against #LGBTQ folks. #TheMoreYouKnow #NowYouKnow https://t.co/oCyYmkqtzRhttps://t.co/gcvCdllSWGhttps://t.co/d3zjmr06kJhttps://t.co/Px24TxfNhq
— DJ Rotten Robbie (@djrottenrobbie) October 13, 2018