Salvation Army bell-ringers may not be welcome on the campus of the University of California-Berkeley after the student government condemned the organization because it does not condone homosexuality.
According to CampusReform.org, Berkeley students passed resolution SB 176 which accuses the charity of discriminating against homosexual individuals.
“Salvation Army church services, including charity services, are available only to people ‘who accept and abide by the Salvation Army’s doctrine and discipline,’ which excludes homosexuality,” the bill reads.
“Allowing the Salvation Army to collect donations on campus is a form of financial assistance that empowers the organization to spend the money it raises here in order to discriminate and advocate discrimination against queer people,” it adds.
The student body goes on to ask school administrators to revoke the Salvation Army’s permit which allows them to collect donations on the Berkeley campus.
However, it appears that the students haven’t done their homework.
In a statement to Campus Reform, the Salvation Army adamantly denied the charges, calling them nothing more than “internet rumors.”
“The notion that we require those we help to ‘accept and abide by the Salvation Army’s doctrine and discipline which excludes homosexuality’ to receive assistance is totally false,” wrote Kathy Lovin, a spokeswoman for the Salvation Army.
She added that “the only requirement for service from The Salvation Army is demonstrated need and our ability to meet it.”
Apparently, the bill was authored by an gay student activist named Matthew Enger who has made similar charges against the Boy Scouts and other organizations that support traditional marriage. He has also used Twitter to profess his hatred of the Republican Party and his desire that all conservatives leave the country.
Enger could not be reached for comment by Campus Reform.
The school is currently reviewing the bill but has not yet made a decision about whether or not to ban the Salvation Army from campus.
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