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Grammy-nominated and multi-platinum singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding is threatening to pull out of a performance at the Dallas Cowboys’ Thanksgiving game halftime show over fan complaints about the Salvation Army.
The annual halftime show marks the kickoff to The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign, which helps provide shelter and meals for the homeless as well as gifts for children during the holiday season.
The controversy began when Goulding posted her support for the organization on Instagram.
Goulding shared a photo of herself in a hairnet, gloves and Salvation Army apron Tuesday morning, telling her 14.4 million Instagram followers about the good work the charity does for those struggling with “poverty, addiction and economic hardships.”
But now Goulding is reconsidering her affiliation with the organization after posters on Instagram were critical of the Salvation Army over what they say is its stance on homosexuality.
CNN notes:
In 2013, the organization maintained that the Bible forbade sexual intimacy between members of the same sex, saying that gay Christians should embrace celibacy and that scripture did not support same-sex marriages, according to Snopes. However, it said, its services were available to all people.
Yahoo News added:
Indeed, the organization has a considerable history of reported discrimination and political lobbying against the LGBTQ community, with one of its media directors once going so far as to say it is the group’s belief that gay people deserve death.
“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,” the artist wrote in response to one comment calling the organization homophobic and transphobic.
“I am a committed philanthropist as you probably know, and my heart has always been in helping the homeless, but supporting an anti-LGBTQ charity is clearly not something I would ever intentionally do,” her response continued. “Thank you for drawing my attention to this x.”
In response to Goulding’s comment, the Salvation Army emailed a statement to the Dallas Morning News that declined to say whether or not the concert would go on as planned and lamented how “myths can perpetuate” about its documented history of discrimination.
The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign raised $142.7 million during its 2018 campaign, according to a news release.
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