Why some of us are so opposed to Faith based charities being given free reign

[dsc]

over our social services.

The majority of existing selters and other care are not providing safe and effective srvices to LGBT homeless youth. For example, in New York City, nearly 60 percent of beds for homeless youth are provided by Covenant House, a facility where LGBT youth report that they have been threatened, belittled, and abused by staff and other youth because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

At one residential placement facility in Michigan, LGBT teens, or those suspected of being LGBT were forced to wear orange jumpsuits to alert staff and other residents at another transitional housing placement, staff removed the bedroom door of an out gay youth, supposedly to ward of any homosexual behavior. The second bed in the room was left empty and other residents were warned thhat if they misbehaved the would share the room with the gay kid.

LGBT homeless youth at the Home for Little Wanderers in Massachusetts have reported being kicked out of other agencies when they revealed their sexual oreintation or identity. Many also said that the risks inherent to living in a space that was not protecting them made them think they were better off having unsafe sex and contracting HIV because they would ten be eligible for specific housing funds reserved for HIV positive homeless people in need.

http://www.thetaskforce.org/downloads/HomelessYouth.pdf

We don't want our tax dollars supporting this crap. Orange jumpsuits? I guess we should be glad they weren't pink. It is government's job to take care of those whose parents refuse to. Since, sadly, so many of the kids whose parents are unwilling to care for are LGBT, then it becomes the government's job to take care of those kids. Currently the same report I quoted says that at least 20% of homeless teens are LGBT. That is despite the fact only 5% of teens over all are. That makes LGBT 4 times as likely to be homeless. And some of them get driven to being infected with a deadly disease on purpose so they can get housing. Why do we oppose faith based social services? Because we know what so many so called Christians think of us. I won't let you use my money to drive my figurative kids to kill themselves.

[zeemike]

1. There is a lot more wrong with faith based initiative than just that

But that there is enough for sure.
But it is wrong on many levels.

[donco6]

2. That's really eye-opening.

Wonder if there's any chance someone could do a documentary on that.

[dsc]

4. We sure have some terrific gay directors out there

Bryan Singer, Gus Van Sant, and Jonathan Demme to name three.

[AZBlue]

3. I agree.

I get angered when some are against them because they are faith-based. However, any organization that discriminates, whether faith-based or not, is doing a great disservice to all of us!

[azurnoir]

5. Remember too that

Bush gave permission to discriminate on religious grounds when choosing who gets charity and who does not.

[dsc]

6. in fairness I think he only gave them permission to discriminate in hiring

not in distribution. But even with that, we know how people will behave if you let them discriminate in hiring.

[azurnoir]

8. I stand corrected

however from what I read it is allowing discrimination in hiring for government subsidized jobs.

[dsc]

9. Oh yes I understand it is with government money

which makes it evil. I also have no doubt that people who hire based on discriminatory basis will also provide services that way.

[NMMNG]

14. But they do discriminate in distribution

I know of one such charity that provides services to disabled adults. It will not allow clients receiving its services to be sexually active if they're unmarried or use birth control under any circumstances because it violates the agency's religious views. If a client wishes to engage in sex or use birth control they need to seek services elsewhere.

[msongs]

7. many faith based charities are in it for the money, $$$ and cash so they do NOT

have to spend their own precious funds on helping people. Let the taxpayers pay for enodorsing and promoting their religion.

Focus on the Family has to come up with dough somewhere.

Msongs
www.msongs.com

[Jacobin]

10. Did you ever read Angela's Ashes?

Or been to a soup kitchen where one is forced to pretend to trade his own spirituality for another's for the sake of a morsel of food. Or thought about the wars over funding from the government among the religious sects in this country? Or thought about Thomas Jefferson's admonitions against religion and the state merging? Or read his dissertations over fighting with priests when the country was founded to keep them from making the U.S. a religious state, with taxes imposed county by county by churches, who would collect and spend those taxes?

Bite your tongue.

[eagler]

11. Some faith based charities do magnificent work But they most definitely

need to be penalized if they try to force their religious ideas on others as long as they are taking federal money. also they should never be allowed to keep those of other faiths from doing ther own thing. To be honest this country would br lost without faith based organizationse

[dsc]

12. they have every right to exist

but no right to take my money and then refuse to hire me.

[eagler]

13. Agreed