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For Those In Need, Being LGBT Can Be A Problem For Charities

Which is more important: helping someone in need without regards for who they are or punishing them for not agreeing with your religious beliefs? While Catholic Charities USA has been willing to help people in need, they have tended to be very discriminating in who they support and help. Simply, if you are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transsexual, then they do not want to help you.

The Rainbow Sash Movement is an LGBT and Progressive Catholic organization that highlights and fights against the hypocrisy and evil that has infected the Catholic hierarchy. Today, they had this to say about the way that Catholic Charities as well as the Salvation Army has been relying too much on their own homophobia to try and not help others:

The Rainbow Sash Movement recognizes that Catholic Charities USA across the nation has done and continues to do a wonderful job when it comes to helping those in need. Like the Salvation Army they enjoy public support in their efforts to promote Charity in the United States. However, the underbelly of both of these charitable organizations increasingly appears to be more concerned with homophobia rather than working for God’s justice for all.

Many in our own community and more so in the broader community do not understand the impact poverty has on the LGBT Community. Many Lesbian and Gay families are struggling just to keep a roof over their head, and food on table. These families are facing foreclosures, job loss and increasingly are finding their only options are limited to living on the streets and/or in shelters. Like many other American families poverty has become a daily reality for them.

So when gay and lesbian families find that they have become confronted with these life changing situations, finding shelter and food for their families becomes a first priority. The last thing they need from Charitable organizations such as Catholic Charities and the Salvation Army is to be challenged with  homophobia when they seek assistance.

Both Charitable organizations insist that their respective religious beliefs on homosexuality take precedence when it comes to taking care of the poor who are LGBT. In certain cases refusing to give shelter to gay and lesbian couples unless they deny who they are, and break up.

Tragically we have seen how these charitable organizations promote homophobia over equality when it comes to serving the poor especially in the area of adoption and foster care of children.

The Rainbow Sash Movement is calling both of these organizations to honor the gay and lesbian face of Christ among the poor, and not use the issue of poverty as tool to discriminate against this vulnerable population.

We are also asking donors to these charitable organizations to exercise prudence when making their donations to insure their donations are not used to promote dogma over compassion when it comes to the poor.

It should be noted that the Salvation Army has said that they help anyone without regards to their sexual orientation or gender identity.