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 Anti-Gay Bigotry in Flames Memo Suggests White House Homophobia is in Control Salvation Army Scandal Highlights a 'Back Room Bush' |
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Compiled By GayToday
Faced with a public relations disaster, Bush operatives denied that there was any secret plan. But according to an internal Salvation Army memo obtained by The Washington Post, the Salvation Army said it would actively support the President's faith-based initiatives in exchange for White House-favored regulations allowing for discrimination. Such Bush administration regulations would permit faith-based charities that receive federal funds to discriminate against gays and lesbians in the workplace. According to the published reports, in return for this regulatory change, the Salvation Army is expected to spend up to $110,000 per month promoting the White House's faith-based initiative. Last night's television news, including CBS Evening News and CNN, brought top story focus to the Bush discriminatory plan, clearly agitated by what they saw reflected in the Washington Post memo. "It shows deep hypocrisy for the White House to advocate local control, except for enforcing civil rights and anti-discrimination laws," said Julian Potter, co-chair of the National Stonewall Democrats. "In that case, they want the federal government to force local taxpayers to support discrimination. This should appall both Democrats and Republicans, and both parties should work to make sure this backdoor measure is never adopted." The Salvation Army memo was dated May 1 -- while on May 9 the President proclaimed the following week "National Salvation Army Week." Ironically, later in the month, the President withheld his approval to proclaim June "Gay and Lesbian Pride Month," with White House spokespersons stating that such a proclamation politicized people's "private lives." "While the White House was publicly proclaiming 'National Salvation Army Week' it was privately planning with them to discriminate against gays and lesbians." Julian Potter further thrashed the Bush maneuver: "President Bush may not feel comfortable politicizing our lives, but he appears completely at ease politicizing the work of a religious organization while working with them to discriminate against us." White House spokesperson, Ari Fleischer, tried to downplay the memo. On C-Span he was shown saying that the Salvation Army had misinterpreted the administration's intentions. Asked if there had been a trade-off, Fleischer told the Associated Press, "Oh no, absolutely not." He added that there never has been a deal and that the author of the Post report had misread the administration's position. "They've been advised of that," said Fleischer in the AP report. In a Reuters report, the White House seemed to be announcing, following the scandal's eruption, that it had "refused a request for a regulation exempting religious charities like the Salvation Army from having to hire homosexuals." However, because of federal laws already forbidding the forcing of religious groups to hire persons who do not share their faith, such a regulation would be unnecessary anyway, the White House insisted. Thus, explained HRC's David Smith, the status quo has simply been maintained.
"It's appalling that a so-called Christian institution would seek to mislead others by hiding their bigotry under the guise of charity and religious principles. And the White House is involved not only in plotting a way to promote bigotry, but also in asking the American people to pay for discrimination with our tax dollars." Matt Coles, Director of the ACLU Lesbian & Gay Rights Project, noted: "The federal government's record on civil rights throughout history has been spotty, ranging from solid enforcement to non-enforcement. But this is the first time the federal government will actually try to coerce states and cities to allow discrimination as a condition of receiving federal money. "And it's all predicated on a big lie -- that religious groups are forced to hire lesbian and gay people. Right-wing groups and the White House continue purposefully trying to blur the fact that religious groups are exempt from gay rights laws -- unless they receive public funds." The Log Cabin Republicans called on their peers in the gay and lesbian movement, advising them not to believe that George W. Bush would broker such a back room deal as has been charged in the troublesome Salvation Army memo. "A simple call to the White House, getting the facts before they jumped to attack, could have avoided this day of misinformation," said a Log Cabin statement to demonstrate its members' support of George W. Bush's suspect strategy. C-Span and a host of other TV news programs, showed Mr. Wade Henderson, Executive Director of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, supporting the positions taken by Ms. Winnie Stachelberg, the Human Rights Campaign's Political Director. While Henderson defined civil rights protections as extending to all Americans, Stachelberg solemnly charged : "This kind of backroom deal--this quid pro quo arrangement--that would allow religious organizations to circumvent civil rights laws enacted by elected officials in state and local municipalities is reprehensible," "It's amazing what some groups will do for 40 pieces of silver," sighed the Reverend Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Lynn continued: "Before dropping money in the Salvation Army's kettles next Christmas, I'll be wondering whether my donation will be paying for a slick lobbying campaign or soup." Of The Salvation Army's total 49,064 paid employees in the U.S., 5,746 are in private religious jobs ... positions that are exempt from laws barring discrimination based on sexual orientation. And of the Salvation Army's 9,037 total centers of operation in the U.S., 1,355 are centers of worship -- private religious institutions that are exempt from laws barring discrimination based on sexual orientation. (Source: Salvation Army USA, at http://www.christianity.com ) |
