The Salvation Army’s “position statement” on homosexuality:Scripture forbids sexual intimacy between members of the same sex. The Salvation Army believes, therefore, that Christians whose sexual orientation is primarily or exclusively same-sex are called upon to embrace celibacy as a way of life. There is no scriptural support for same-sex unions as equal to, or as an alternative to, heterosexual marriage.
Likewise, there is no scriptural support for demeaning or mistreating anyone for reason of his or her sexual orientation. The Salvation Army opposes any such abuse.
In keeping with these convictions, the services of The Salvation Army are available to all who qualify, without regard to sexual orientation. The fellowship of Salvation Army worship is open to all sincere seekers of faith in Christ, and membership in The Salvation Army church body is open to all who confess Christ as Savior and who accept and abide by The Salvation Army’s doctrine and discipline.
In addition to its political activism, there have been some documented instances of actual acts of discrimination against the LGBT community. Interestingly, however, almost all of these have been brought to the public’s attention by LGBT activist Bill Browning of The Bilerico Project. According to Browning, in 2004 when New York City began requiring vendors and charity organizations to adhere to state law forbidding discrimination based on sexual orientation, The Salvation Army threatened to close all its soup kitchens for the homeless in the city. Browning also asserts that The Salvation Army denied shelter to him and his boyfriend during a period of homelessness in Indiana. When a Salvation Army saw Browning’s boyfriend wearing an AIDS activism pin on his jacket, he allegedly told the couple they would have to break up and attend church services in order to stay in the shelter.