Singer Ellie Goulding is slated to perform at halftime of the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day football game but has threatened to cancel her performance if the Salvation Army does not make a “solid, committed pledge or donation to the LGBTQ community.”
The Salvation Army, which promotes itself as a Christian organization seeking to help impoverished communities, has taken heat in recent years for what critics perceive as anti-gay and transgender views.
Since the late 1990s, the Cowboys have hosted the Red Kettle Kickoff show, and the franchise has a long-standing partnership with the Salvation Army.
Goulding has promoted the Salvation Army on social media since it was announced she would be performing at the game.
Some of Goulding’s fans complained about her association with the Salvation Army, leading her to issue a statement and threaten to pull her performance.
“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,” she wrote. “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. Thank you for drawing my attention to this.”
The Salvation Army dismissed allegations of an anti-gay and transgender bias.
“With an organization of our size and history, myths can perpetuate,” it told NBC5. “An individual’s sexual or gender identity, religion, or lifestyle has no bearing on our willingness to provide service. We stand firmly behind our mission to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.”
