Flint - The Salvation Army bell ringers can expect some phony $5 bills in their kettles this holiday season.
Mary Scholl, president of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays – Genesee County, said her organization will distribute greenback-sized slips that take the Salvation Army to task for what it perceives as bias against gay and lesbian employees.
The Salvation Army calls the protesters' claims slanderous.
On the front, the fake bills say "I would have donated five dollars, but the Salvation Army decision to discriminate against gays and lesbian employees prevents my donation now and in the future." On the back, PFLAG urges the Salvation Army to change its "discriminatory policy."
"We want to let the Salvation Army know that we can't support them, although we would like to, because of their policy against gay people," Scholl said.
The slips are to be dropped into fund-raising receptacles in Genesee County and possibly other cities.
PFLAG says it is particularly upset with the charity's "backroom dealing" pushing the administration of President Bush "to exempt religious organizations from obeying local and state anti-discrimination laws concerning (gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered) persons."
"We want the Salvation Army to know that we can no longer support an organization that discriminates against our loved ones," said Scholl, a retired Davison School District librarian who lives in Grand Blanc, in a statement.
Major Ralph Bukiewicz, Genesee County commander of the Salvation Army, called the statement slanderous.
He said the Salvation Army's mission statement says the group's purpose "is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination."
"Even in hiring, our policy in Genesee County says nothing about sexual orientation; we just don't discriminate on hiring," Bukiewicz said.
He said no one from PFLAG has called him for an explanation of the Salvation Army's position on sexual orientation.
"Unfortunately, we have not been contacted by this group or any other spreading inaccurate information," Bukiewicz said. "We are willing to sit down with them and discuss our policies."
He acknowledged that there may have been private meetings between the Salvation Army and the Bush administration on the faith-based initiatives - a program to allow government funds to aid religious charities - but that process is normal, he said. He said groups often discuss issues privately before making public statements.
Scholl said the 30-person PFLAG group formed in January and she has been president since May. Earlier this year, the group rallied against the Boy Scouts of America.
Bukiewicz said the Salvation Army requires that ordained ministers normally come from heterosexual marriages and deals with divorced candidates on an individual basis.
This year's kettle drive kicks off locally Nov. 17 at the Genesee Valley shopping center and continues through Christmas.
Instead of the PFLAG effort, Bukiewicz said he is more concerned that potential givers might have already donated to the Sept. 11 effort. Scholl is advising people supporters to give to charitable organizations that
Last year's kettle drive raised $195,000.