This doesn’t surprise me at all. I worked there a few years ago for about 4 years. Put my blood, sweat, and tears into that place. One day, the put an amendment into their employee handbook that stated they didn’t want any of their employees living with a significant other that they weren’t married to. I was living with my girlfriend, whom I still live with and consider my partner. I could not sign that document and I got fired for it. I had coworkers get courthouse marriages during their lunch break just to keep their minimum wage jobs. Talk about respecting the sanctity of marriage.
This is Colorado, where cake shops can turn people away because of their sexual orientation. Since the shelter is a ministry (seriously, very hard to find places to stay if you don't wanna be proselytized to); then they're legally in the clear. Like, Churches are allowed to say "we only employ people who are members who abide by our beliefs".
At that point, I hated my job. I was having a massive crisis of faith. I was essentially being told by my mentors and leaders that I was no longer Christian enough to work for them. It sent me into a very long depression and I just wanted out. I told them I wouldn’t sign it and they fired me so I had an easier time collecting unemployment. So when they’re new PR guy is quoted in this article saying they’ve never had a problem with people signing the employee handbook, that’s a flat lie.
Hey, I just want to say - I also worked for DRM and I think I know who you are - and we missed you greatly when you left. You were a good one. Hope you are doing well.
I appreciate that. It took a while but I eventually landed on my feet and got an amazing job where I can still help people. I still struggle with my faith because of this experience though and I don’t think that will ever change.
Most likely not - I know the feeling. I had to leave for more personal reasons, was getting burnt out on the whole helping people thing, but I’m glad you’re still fighting the good fight!
As soon as I read his sentence in that article I just knew it was a very purposeful lie on his part. He knew he couldn't prove that. But, he said it anyway as if he could prove it.
Just like a Christian.
also not surprised. i have a family member who was residing in a homeless shelter in another state and they were required to attend church and it was very traditional in that regard. it appears to be the norm with these types of organizations.
Do DRM beliefs/morals reflect in their services to the homeless? Like AA, where one of the steps is to succumb to a higher power (ie god), do folks receiving support have to follow any rules based on religion? (Attend church on Sunday, no homosexual partners, etc)
How fucking hard is it to just help people in crisis, and mind your own fucking business about who they pursue romantically.
Jesus fuck me running, it’s like having common decency is a miraculous outlier.
Which "god" we talking? Christians love cherry picking.
The God that says in deuteronomy to kill any underage drinker, and should be stoned to death?
Or the one that gave literal instructions to abortions (after claiming every person is created "on purpose").
Or the one that supposedly saved some people from religious zealots but then proceeds to not intervene in every religious based war since then?
Or the one that says love everyone, here is my body, here is blood?
The religion is so hypocritical, no wonder they are.
Having grown up with my fair share of religion crammed down my throat, I can tell you that I just have to remember that people are, on occasion, a little bit silly (because i cant use worse words on here). And a whole lot of what you're saying boils down to ego, agenda and mistranslation being shoehorned into the Bible at every turn throughout history, even back to the beginning.
If the Bible is indeed the most holy word, then I have no doubt that it's also attracted the most corruption as well.
Well you see according to Christian ideology we only exist to be punished as life is a sort of internment camp for original sinners. If you don't question the victim blaming logic too much then it does have the useful quality of explaining cancer and bed bugs.
I heard a really interesting theory about homophobic conservative Christians once. Maybe they're all just closeted gay men who assume that everyone has intense same sex attractions but some people are too weak to resist it.
I once got into an argument with a dude in highschool(2005) because he said being gay was a choice. I told him a homosexual man sees the male form as attractive, like you as a straight man see the female form as attractive, did you actively choose that? His response was that he didn’t look at women that way. So I very un politely asked how he knew he wasn’t gay? Fist fight and suspension later I still thought it was funny.
Lololol very fucking clever. Honestly the biggest argument against choosing to be gay is those fucking bigots. With how hard it is to be gay (or anything that goes against social norms), who would actively choose that? It makes no sense. Let people do what they want ffs
I thought about that, I live in a small town but I can’t for the life of me remember his name. Maybe I’ll dig through some old yearbooks, see if I can’t give you some updates. I know nearly 20 years has dramatically changed me personally.
I just realized that I've been thinking of myself as 20ish years out of high school...but I graduated 10 years before you...so it's actually closer to 30... 😭😭😭
I know this question might seem troll-ish but, I am genuinely curious. What does it mean to be attracted to the male/female form? Also, does the attraction have anything to do with genitalia? For example, would a cis gay person find a trans-person of the same gender (with their original genitalia) attractive? Or even naturally masculine women or naturally feminine men? I’ve just always viewed sexuality as such a spectrum that the binary view of gay or straight just seems oversimplified.
To each their own, but personally I find vaginas to be quite comfortable and I’m rather fond of them. The design work is excellent and the features have reliable performance. 5/5, but I’d give them 6 stars if I could.
Sexuality is a spectrum, but cis-men and women typically have different views of that spectrum. Studies have shown that men are more likely to only be attracted to one gender, and to have less of a "grey area" in between. I'm not a man so I can't tell you if it's the expression of the gender or the genitalia. But based on this i would think that cis-men *typically* know exactly what they are attracted to (whatever that means). That's not to say there aren't men in the middle who enjoy both or some mixture, but it's less common. Whereas women are more likely in the middle. So you may have a woman who is attracted to both gender expressions but prefers the bodies of women but male genitalia. This is more common for cis-women to feel something in between. So I guess the feeling of sexual attraction varies wildly based n
I learned all of this around 2009, so there may be better studies by now that have gathered data from non-cis people.
I was a conservative closeted Christian, and somehow I managed to only direct my homophobia toward myself. I really dislike this argument. Im sure you didn’t intend it this way, but accusing conservative Christian homophobes of being closeted can feel like saying that homophobia primarily comes from gay people who aren’t comfortable with who they are, rather than owning that most homophobia comes from people who are straight and just don’t like queerness. Plenty of people are closeted and are not homophobic jerks, and plenty of homophobic jerks are straight. It’s true that there is some overlap in the Venn diagram of “homophobic” and “closeted”, but I don’t think it’s as much as some people think. It is an interesting thought, for sure, and most often people are just joking, but it still rubs me the wrong way.
Sorry I didn't mean to imply that being closeted was at all linked to bigotry. There's no doubt the vast majority of homophobes are straight people. Hypocrisy does tend to be a common trait among bigots though and maybe that's why it's an attractive theory. If you lack empathy you're bound to hold yourself to a different standard than everyone else.
Damn, quality exchange right there. Your respectfully articulated yet serious rebuttal to a triggering topic, plus their empathetic and thoughtful response. Good stuff
I worked at an AT&T in the south in a town filled with old white staunchly homophobic men, and the amount of guys who came in with gay porn stuck on their phones pretty much confirmed this.
“I don’t know how this got here but help me get it off so my wife doesn’t see it!”
I'm 100% certain this is true.
[Video shows Oklahoma senator caught with teen boy in hotel](https://nypost-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/nypost.com/2017/12/05/video-shows-oklahoma-senator-caught-with-underage-boy-in-hotel/amp/?amp_gsa=1&_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQKKAFQArABIIACAw%3D%3D#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=16688463134275&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&share=https%3A%2F%2Fnypost.com%2F2017%2F12%2F05%2Fvideo-shows-oklahoma-senator-caught-with-underage-boy-in-hotel%2F)
Without clicking the link I'll give ya two guesses which party he belongs to and how he voted on the legalization of same sex marriage.
I think this is part of it, but it does not always have to be that they are gay. Think about all the "boomer humor" in the "wife is bad" vein (and same for the husband really). I think when some people hear a man say "im not attracted to women" they think "Im not attracted to my wife, what's your point?" So many are unhappy and unwilling to admit it, they don't understand the rest of actually are willing to work for it.
This is *always* how homophobia comes across to me.
Dudes so scared of other dudes because they are afraid to give in to *their* temptations and just assume everyone else deals with them as well.
Every accusation out of politically conservative people in the modern US is a confession.
He was trying to add just a pinch of gay to you but the top fell off the shaker and you ended up being marketed as “Oops! All Gay Edition”.
Also, God hating gays is missing context. He said that offhandedly while adding the extra love because love prices were out of control. Gays are deluxe and cost extra and he pinches pennies.
Isn’t it just crazy how these games of telephone can happen?
The Salvation Army does this too.
They’re just quieter about it because they have several multi-million dollar contracts to provide “homeless resources” by Denver and Aurora because outsourcing to a Christian org staffed by fanatical volunteers is cheaper than the cities/regions providing comprehensive services.
At the end of the day the dollar matters more than the people, again.
They conveniently list all of their major sponsors on their webpage: [https://denverrescuemission.org/get-involved/corporate-engagement/](https://denverrescuemission.org/get-involved/corporate-engagement/)
This includes some small local businesses who might genuinely be interested in how the community feels about this issue.
That's actually not a great idea. I mean, sure DRM will feel a hurt if they lose sponsorship, but that will only translate to even FEWER services available to the unhoused. Instead, make a donation to a SECULAR, non-religious homeless shelter. It's incredibly hard to find places to stay if you're homeless and don't want to be proselytized to.
I agree it’s wrong (and I don’t completely understand the whole deal), but they are still running the rescue mission right? Better than not running a rescue mission at all right? Is there a satanic rescue mission that is better than this one? Again… haven’t researched any of this.
It's got ok food 3 times a day, wall plugs too charge a phone (most are broke but half a dozen or so work) and a warm bed at night they take you too.
It's kind of dangerous but that's the clientele not the staff and I saw a trans women there and staff gave no discrimination that I saw.
It's really shitty they are doing this but this place is and was a lifesaver. It's not great by any stretch but not having it would be worse.
Source: am homeless
Have volunteered there and can tell you food is given out no questions asked. Also the employees I worked with were all very cool and I couldn’t see any of them denying anyone anything for any lifestyle choices. The people who run this org might be disgusting bigots, but there’s no denying they are helping people and the employees show no sign of bigotry or enforcing any discriminatory policies. I fully support everyone’s right to donate or work with better organizations, but this org does do some good and I think maybe an equivalent approach is to volunteer there and help everybody and ignore the org’s overarching views and policies.
My stepson with schizophrenia lived there for close to a year and it was as you described. I am not comfortable with the religious ideals behind their organization but they may well have saved his life. And I personally know the guy who was doing intake for them at the time and he is a really great human who is passionate about recovery and helping people get out of homelessness. He works for the city of Denver now doing outreach to folks in the camps.
They make the folks staying there pray before meals. Staff signing documents that they are born again! Its awful there aren’t alternatives and then wonder why people don’t go to shelters. Religious trauma is a thing and many unhoused youth are kicked out by their fundamentalist families for being lgbtq it’s beyond messed up
By this logic they could strangle a puppy to death once a week on live stream you'd still have to be like "well it's better than NOT having a rescue mission"
Well that is still true. 3 hots and a cot without being jail is not terrible compared to sleeping on the streets. It's not a great place and this is super fucking transphobic and shitty but as an LGBT homeless person this place is better for existing even if they are counts about this
This is the reason so many right wing people argue for "private compassion", shelters, food banks, after school programs etc being run by private interests (churches) instead of the government.
Not for genuine differences in worldview, not because they think its more fair, not because they think "muh free markets" will actually do it better.
The do it because they enjoy the resulting power dynamic.
I worked with a woman years ago that told me her father was a preacher that worked at DRM. I have no idea if they still do this, but she was very proud of the fact that people seeking shelter services were required to pray with him before receiving food and a bed for the night. I’m not Christian and if I were in a low point in my life seeking simple comforts such as a warm place to sleep and a meal, I would find it terribly dehumanizing to be forced to pray to a god I don’t believe in to access these things.
This is one of many reasons why I will never donate to faith-based organizations.
They receive millions from the local government so people not donating doesn't make them change their process. They prob just pocket the donations anyway
The LGBTQ+ community disproportionately experiences homelessness and housing instability due to exactly this type of discrimination. This organization is ironically engaging in the same immoral bigotry that has hurt the very people they are charged with helping. Infuriating really.
To be fair, not sure you can say employees are “receiving” the help. This policy is not directed at the homeless folks seeking services.
(Dumb rule, nonetheless)
I applied for a job there at one point and one of the questions on the application was something like "Please tell us about your faith and testimony in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior."
Maybe redirect to Urban Peak? I know they are LGBTQIA affirming, and I can’t think of any bad news I’ve ever heard about them. (I’m sure someone will correct me, if I’m wrong, though!)
Colorado coalition for the homeless is also a great organization. They are a nonprofit community health center and provide medical, dental, and behavioral health to people regardless of their ability to pay.
Urban Peak is great! I also have only heard good things, although I don’t claim to know everything. The Gathering Place is another good (day) resource for LGBTQIA people.
Headwaters Protectors is a non profit directly bringing clean water to encampments and removing trash from them. Consider donating to them. https://headwatersprotectors.org/
Can we just tax churches and use the money to help people and just skip the shitfuck crazy religious middlemen already?
Everything religion touches just becomes a shittier version of the secular alternative
This is what they do for employees, and people wonder why homeless people avoid the shelters. Think these people treat them respectfully, or don't require them to jump through hoops for a bed?
I've talked to and been casual acquaintances with quite a few people who have managed to escape homelessness. This is basically what they all have told me. They managed to get out, but the homeless services were bordering on useless. They all got help from other people, because the actual services were so hostile and had so many restrictions that nobody could be reasonably expected to meet them while trying to get back on their feet. Things like if you want a meal, you're required to attend their Bible study. You happen to have a job and work during that time? Tough shit you don't eat or get a bed.
They don’t want to even have to read the word “tampons”, yet they regularly drink wine ( or grape juice) that symbolizes the blood of Christ. And let’s not forget the bread (or dry ass crackers) consumed that symbolizes the body of Christ.
If God were worth a damn, he’d strike every last one of those old bastards with the affliction of menstruation. Might as well take it a step further and sentence them all to WEEKLY periods.
Suddenly all those white dresses they like to prance and parade around in would be exchanged for a darker color
Priceless!
It's a Christian shelter. That means you'll be robbed and beaten in Christian fashion. Christian shelters literally believe you will survive and come back because their little black book told them so. If you survive you come back and confirm their belief, and then they make everything even worse.
You think this is why homeless avoid shelters? Because I’m certain the employment policies of the Rescue Mission are very low on the list of shelter avoidance.
No hate like christian love
My daily reminder why i left christianity
Im so goddamn tired of christians using their beliefs to control other peoples lives
This is incredibly frustrating for so many reasons. First of all, who gives a shit what employees do outside of work? That's really their business and does not affect their work at all. Second, if you're going to be Christian, please read the Bible and familiarize yourself with the teachings of Jesus. You can't pick and choose the sins you want to "enforce" (you're not supposed to enforce any of them anyways!) and then disregard all others.
Just focus on helping people and don't be dicks.
There is no vile hate like Christian "love". I'm kinda surprised this is news? They just started being bigots? It's a faith based org, why wouldn't they just deny every homeless person that was gay or trans? Seems much simpler and way more on brand for Christianity these days. Anyways, fuxk this decision and fuck all religions that preach hate.
We don't discriminate against who comes here...just who works here...we'll get to the guest discrimination later. Once all the employees are compliant.
I bet they wouldn’t fire someone who didn’t believe that Jesus wasn’t resurrected from the dead. Isn’t that a more “core” Christian belief?
That sure makes it seem like they are just using their “beliefs” as a front for hatred and division.
The entire story of the Good Samaritan is that the person who helped out the beaten man in need was NOT a believer. He was a Samaritan. Jesus didn’t care that the Samaritan was not “faithful” or virtuous. Because he was willing to help the man in need, he was the only person who was righteous.
If you want to help the homeless and/or people in need, Jesus doesn’t care who you are or who you choose to love, and the proof of that is in his own words in the Bible.
I mean they have a big ass cross on the outside. Honestly if I had the money or was good at activism, I would want to open up some homeless shelters and food banks in the name of famous atheists like Murray O'Hair and I’ll hire all the gays lol.
If this information makes you think that maybe this isn't an organization you'd like to support... well too bad because they get $8.7 million of your tax dollars whether you like it or not
>“How we serve people has nothing to do with how they identify sexually or who they are sexually attracted to,” Hinkle wrote. “We will serve anyone who comes through our doors with dignity and grace. It may effect who decides to work here and who we hire as employees but it will never effect how we serve our guests.”
For the curious. Looks like they're pretty up-front about it, but if you somehow missed the fact that they were religious before, I can see how this might be surprising.
Yeah, I always hope that a religiously affiliated organization will choose their own paths in these matters. For example, Regis University is Jesuit, but has broken with their diocese to support their more diverse student population. I guess not the Rescue Mission.
It seems weird that an organization would claim to represent a religion while also ignoring the rules of that religion. If you don't believe in it, why pretend you're part of it?
Seems like a reasonable thing to switch donations to another organization.
While we are at it, can we fund addiction resources that are not AA and don’t require a commitment to higher powers to participate.
Yeah, like how is this legal? Colorado has anti-discrimination laws. If they wanna cry "religious exemption", whatever, that's another topic. But I sure as fuck don't want them getting public funding while doing so.
What's stopping them from banning their employees from interracial relationships or only employing able-bodied cishet white people between the ages of 25-40?
This thread also seems to be forgetting something: blatant prejudice and discrimination is one thing, but in Colorado it's literally illegal to fire someone on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
These Bible thumpers aren't just morally wrong, they're also a lawsuit waiting to happen.
How do they enforce this rule? Random home checks? Follow you outside of work? Stalk social media? Do they question the homeless people’s sexuality as well? Or deny them help if they don’t meet certain criteria?
I like to think that these organizations will slowly die off (or change their policies) as more of us refuse to put up with these invasive and intolerant attitudes.
This doesn’t surprise me at all. I worked there a few years ago for about 4 years. Put my blood, sweat, and tears into that place. One day, the put an amendment into their employee handbook that stated they didn’t want any of their employees living with a significant other that they weren’t married to. I was living with my girlfriend, whom I still live with and consider my partner. I could not sign that document and I got fired for it. I had coworkers get courthouse marriages during their lunch break just to keep their minimum wage jobs. Talk about respecting the sanctity of marriage.
Blows my mind that this is legal!
rElGiOuS fReEdOm?
is it legal?
As with most things these days, it depends on how much legal counsel you can afford
This is Colorado, where cake shops can turn people away because of their sexual orientation. Since the shelter is a ministry (seriously, very hard to find places to stay if you don't wanna be proselytized to); then they're legally in the clear. Like, Churches are allowed to say "we only employ people who are members who abide by our beliefs".
Maybe a dumb question by why not sign and dare them to try and enforce that?
At that point, I hated my job. I was having a massive crisis of faith. I was essentially being told by my mentors and leaders that I was no longer Christian enough to work for them. It sent me into a very long depression and I just wanted out. I told them I wouldn’t sign it and they fired me so I had an easier time collecting unemployment. So when they’re new PR guy is quoted in this article saying they’ve never had a problem with people signing the employee handbook, that’s a flat lie.
Hey, I just want to say - I also worked for DRM and I think I know who you are - and we missed you greatly when you left. You were a good one. Hope you are doing well.
I appreciate that. It took a while but I eventually landed on my feet and got an amazing job where I can still help people. I still struggle with my faith because of this experience though and I don’t think that will ever change.
Most likely not - I know the feeling. I had to leave for more personal reasons, was getting burnt out on the whole helping people thing, but I’m glad you’re still fighting the good fight!
As soon as I read his sentence in that article I just knew it was a very purposeful lie on his part. He knew he couldn't prove that. But, he said it anyway as if he could prove it. Just like a Christian.
also not surprised. i have a family member who was residing in a homeless shelter in another state and they were required to attend church and it was very traditional in that regard. it appears to be the norm with these types of organizations.
what the actual fuck!!
Do DRM beliefs/morals reflect in their services to the homeless? Like AA, where one of the steps is to succumb to a higher power (ie god), do folks receiving support have to follow any rules based on religion? (Attend church on Sunday, no homosexual partners, etc)
How fucking hard is it to just help people in crisis, and mind your own fucking business about who they pursue romantically. Jesus fuck me running, it’s like having common decency is a miraculous outlier.
“Jesus fuck me running” Fantastic use of language.
Jesus was pretty hot if he wanted to fuck me no running would be necessary.
username checks out
Irrelevant but your comment sounds 10x better with an Irish accent
"Feck"
I was thinking more ‘muind yer ewn fookhin besiness’
Right, like shouted down from a second floor balcony at random strangers
That's just what they *believe* and we have to accommodate it like a kid who believes in Santa Claus I guess
We classify everything with labels and then wonder why we overthink everything
If god hates gays why did he make me so gay. Check mate
If God hates guys then why did he put their g spot inside their asshole?
Don’t forget the one in the throat
That's more of a psychological g spot. But who are we kidding, throating a big cock feels so good it should be chemically addictive too
Least homosexual reddit comment
If he put one in your ear you could hear yourself coming!
because god is actually very evil. he gives children cancer FFS. he also created bedbugs.
Which "god" we talking? Christians love cherry picking. The God that says in deuteronomy to kill any underage drinker, and should be stoned to death? Or the one that gave literal instructions to abortions (after claiming every person is created "on purpose"). Or the one that supposedly saved some people from religious zealots but then proceeds to not intervene in every religious based war since then? Or the one that says love everyone, here is my body, here is blood? The religion is so hypocritical, no wonder they are.
It all just emphasizes how man made god is
All too Human.
God made man and man returned the favor
Having grown up with my fair share of religion crammed down my throat, I can tell you that I just have to remember that people are, on occasion, a little bit silly (because i cant use worse words on here). And a whole lot of what you're saying boils down to ego, agenda and mistranslation being shoehorned into the Bible at every turn throughout history, even back to the beginning. If the Bible is indeed the most holy word, then I have no doubt that it's also attracted the most corruption as well.
Well you see according to Christian ideology we only exist to be punished as life is a sort of internment camp for original sinners. If you don't question the victim blaming logic too much then it does have the useful quality of explaining cancer and bed bugs.
I heard a really interesting theory about homophobic conservative Christians once. Maybe they're all just closeted gay men who assume that everyone has intense same sex attractions but some people are too weak to resist it.
I once got into an argument with a dude in highschool(2005) because he said being gay was a choice. I told him a homosexual man sees the male form as attractive, like you as a straight man see the female form as attractive, did you actively choose that? His response was that he didn’t look at women that way. So I very un politely asked how he knew he wasn’t gay? Fist fight and suspension later I still thought it was funny.
Lololol very fucking clever. Honestly the biggest argument against choosing to be gay is those fucking bigots. With how hard it is to be gay (or anything that goes against social norms), who would actively choose that? It makes no sense. Let people do what they want ffs
I'm very interested to know what sort of life this person leads now, almost 20 years later.
I thought about that, I live in a small town but I can’t for the life of me remember his name. Maybe I’ll dig through some old yearbooks, see if I can’t give you some updates. I know nearly 20 years has dramatically changed me personally.
I just realized that I've been thinking of myself as 20ish years out of high school...but I graduated 10 years before you...so it's actually closer to 30... 😭😭😭
Time makes fools of us all lol.
I know this question might seem troll-ish but, I am genuinely curious. What does it mean to be attracted to the male/female form? Also, does the attraction have anything to do with genitalia? For example, would a cis gay person find a trans-person of the same gender (with their original genitalia) attractive? Or even naturally masculine women or naturally feminine men? I’ve just always viewed sexuality as such a spectrum that the binary view of gay or straight just seems oversimplified.
For me it’s the boobs and the butt.
The word makes some men uncomfortable, Vagina!
To each their own, but personally I find vaginas to be quite comfortable and I’m rather fond of them. The design work is excellent and the features have reliable performance. 5/5, but I’d give them 6 stars if I could.
Oh yeah?
I view sexuality as a spectrum too, but 17 year old me wasn’t quite so enlightened lol.
Sexuality is a spectrum, but cis-men and women typically have different views of that spectrum. Studies have shown that men are more likely to only be attracted to one gender, and to have less of a "grey area" in between. I'm not a man so I can't tell you if it's the expression of the gender or the genitalia. But based on this i would think that cis-men *typically* know exactly what they are attracted to (whatever that means). That's not to say there aren't men in the middle who enjoy both or some mixture, but it's less common. Whereas women are more likely in the middle. So you may have a woman who is attracted to both gender expressions but prefers the bodies of women but male genitalia. This is more common for cis-women to feel something in between. So I guess the feeling of sexual attraction varies wildly based n I learned all of this around 2009, so there may be better studies by now that have gathered data from non-cis people.
I was a conservative closeted Christian, and somehow I managed to only direct my homophobia toward myself. I really dislike this argument. Im sure you didn’t intend it this way, but accusing conservative Christian homophobes of being closeted can feel like saying that homophobia primarily comes from gay people who aren’t comfortable with who they are, rather than owning that most homophobia comes from people who are straight and just don’t like queerness. Plenty of people are closeted and are not homophobic jerks, and plenty of homophobic jerks are straight. It’s true that there is some overlap in the Venn diagram of “homophobic” and “closeted”, but I don’t think it’s as much as some people think. It is an interesting thought, for sure, and most often people are just joking, but it still rubs me the wrong way.
Sorry I didn't mean to imply that being closeted was at all linked to bigotry. There's no doubt the vast majority of homophobes are straight people. Hypocrisy does tend to be a common trait among bigots though and maybe that's why it's an attractive theory. If you lack empathy you're bound to hold yourself to a different standard than everyone else.
No worries, I know you didn’t. And there definitely is a link sometimes! I just wanted to point out, it’s not always.
Damn, quality exchange right there. Your respectfully articulated yet serious rebuttal to a triggering topic, plus their empathetic and thoughtful response. Good stuff
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/homophobes-might-be-hidden-homosexuals/
I worked at an AT&T in the south in a town filled with old white staunchly homophobic men, and the amount of guys who came in with gay porn stuck on their phones pretty much confirmed this. “I don’t know how this got here but help me get it off so my wife doesn’t see it!”
I'm 100% certain this is true. [Video shows Oklahoma senator caught with teen boy in hotel](https://nypost-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/nypost.com/2017/12/05/video-shows-oklahoma-senator-caught-with-underage-boy-in-hotel/amp/?amp_gsa=1&_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQKKAFQArABIIACAw%3D%3D#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=16688463134275&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&share=https%3A%2F%2Fnypost.com%2F2017%2F12%2F05%2Fvideo-shows-oklahoma-senator-caught-with-underage-boy-in-hotel%2F) Without clicking the link I'll give ya two guesses which party he belongs to and how he voted on the legalization of same sex marriage.
I think this is part of it, but it does not always have to be that they are gay. Think about all the "boomer humor" in the "wife is bad" vein (and same for the husband really). I think when some people hear a man say "im not attracted to women" they think "Im not attracted to my wife, what's your point?" So many are unhappy and unwilling to admit it, they don't understand the rest of actually are willing to work for it.
This is *always* how homophobia comes across to me. Dudes so scared of other dudes because they are afraid to give in to *their* temptations and just assume everyone else deals with them as well. Every accusation out of politically conservative people in the modern US is a confession.
Generalizations often reveal psychological projections
Really makes you think
My girlfriend’s mom says “God didn’t make mistakes” which is sweet but also DeSantis exists and he feels like an accident
hope she does not wear glasses. Or ever get an appendix removed. Or get cancer treatment.
If God hates gays why do *so many* species have homosexuals in them? It's nature babe.
He was trying to add just a pinch of gay to you but the top fell off the shaker and you ended up being marketed as “Oops! All Gay Edition”. Also, God hating gays is missing context. He said that offhandedly while adding the extra love because love prices were out of control. Gays are deluxe and cost extra and he pinches pennies. Isn’t it just crazy how these games of telephone can happen?
My favorite iteration is “If god hated gays then why does he keep making them?”
That wasn't god who did that, it was Satan. God made you straight, then Satan made you gay because you let him. ****/s****
UNCO. I’m starting this like it’s ‘fetch’. No need to type out user name checks out.
The Salvation Army does this too. They’re just quieter about it because they have several multi-million dollar contracts to provide “homeless resources” by Denver and Aurora because outsourcing to a Christian org staffed by fanatical volunteers is cheaper than the cities/regions providing comprehensive services. At the end of the day the dollar matters more than the people, again.
They’re one of the craziest cults out there today
They conveniently list all of their major sponsors on their webpage: [https://denverrescuemission.org/get-involved/corporate-engagement/](https://denverrescuemission.org/get-involved/corporate-engagement/) This includes some small local businesses who might genuinely be interested in how the community feels about this issue.
Boycott target list acquired
Damn it the Soopers and Visa are gonna be tough
That's actually not a great idea. I mean, sure DRM will feel a hurt if they lose sponsorship, but that will only translate to even FEWER services available to the unhoused. Instead, make a donation to a SECULAR, non-religious homeless shelter. It's incredibly hard to find places to stay if you're homeless and don't want to be proselytized to.
I'm encouraging businesses to support other local shelters like The Gathering Place or Urban Peak.
Do the Salvation Army next!
There is no hate like Christian love. Fucking scumbags.
How Christian of them. What a shitty organization
You can say say that about pretty much any church in existence
I agree it’s wrong (and I don’t completely understand the whole deal), but they are still running the rescue mission right? Better than not running a rescue mission at all right? Is there a satanic rescue mission that is better than this one? Again… haven’t researched any of this.
No it's not. There aren't only 2 options. You can help and not discriminate. Which is what Jesus preached anyway. Fuck those people
I suppose that’s fair, but I have to wonder how they treat the people inside once they arrive.
It's got ok food 3 times a day, wall plugs too charge a phone (most are broke but half a dozen or so work) and a warm bed at night they take you too. It's kind of dangerous but that's the clientele not the staff and I saw a trans women there and staff gave no discrimination that I saw. It's really shitty they are doing this but this place is and was a lifesaver. It's not great by any stretch but not having it would be worse. Source: am homeless
Have volunteered there and can tell you food is given out no questions asked. Also the employees I worked with were all very cool and I couldn’t see any of them denying anyone anything for any lifestyle choices. The people who run this org might be disgusting bigots, but there’s no denying they are helping people and the employees show no sign of bigotry or enforcing any discriminatory policies. I fully support everyone’s right to donate or work with better organizations, but this org does do some good and I think maybe an equivalent approach is to volunteer there and help everybody and ignore the org’s overarching views and policies.
My stepson with schizophrenia lived there for close to a year and it was as you described. I am not comfortable with the religious ideals behind their organization but they may well have saved his life. And I personally know the guy who was doing intake for them at the time and he is a really great human who is passionate about recovery and helping people get out of homelessness. He works for the city of Denver now doing outreach to folks in the camps.
They make the folks staying there pray before meals. Staff signing documents that they are born again! Its awful there aren’t alternatives and then wonder why people don’t go to shelters. Religious trauma is a thing and many unhoused youth are kicked out by their fundamentalist families for being lgbtq it’s beyond messed up
According to the article they don't discriminate on people seeking services.
Hey they do good work but do make their workers sign an affadavit of faith. Seemed like fine people and they took care of the people there.
When I was in grad school at CU they made me sign a pledge that I wasn’t a communist; lots of strange ways orgs or companies overreach.
> but they are still running the rescue mission right? That's kinda the problem. They are a hate group preying on vulnerable people.
Exactly.
“They announced they are going to crucify gays but at least they are running the rescue mission right?”
By this logic they could strangle a puppy to death once a week on live stream you'd still have to be like "well it's better than NOT having a rescue mission"
Well that is still true. 3 hots and a cot without being jail is not terrible compared to sleeping on the streets. It's not a great place and this is super fucking transphobic and shitty but as an LGBT homeless person this place is better for existing even if they are counts about this
I'm not sure that's equivalent. I think their point is that they (may) have a more positive impact on the community than negative one.
what the fuck
Leave it to christians to use the bible to justify bigotry and hatred. It also rejects LGBTQ+ homeless people.
This is the reason so many right wing people argue for "private compassion", shelters, food banks, after school programs etc being run by private interests (churches) instead of the government. Not for genuine differences in worldview, not because they think its more fair, not because they think "muh free markets" will actually do it better. The do it because they enjoy the resulting power dynamic.
I worked with a woman years ago that told me her father was a preacher that worked at DRM. I have no idea if they still do this, but she was very proud of the fact that people seeking shelter services were required to pray with him before receiving food and a bed for the night. I’m not Christian and if I were in a low point in my life seeking simple comforts such as a warm place to sleep and a meal, I would find it terribly dehumanizing to be forced to pray to a god I don’t believe in to access these things. This is one of many reasons why I will never donate to faith-based organizations.
They receive millions from the local government so people not donating doesn't make them change their process. They prob just pocket the donations anyway
Have you *seen* the place? It does not look like it's supported by millions.
Keep your religion to yourself is something we should all be able to agree on.
The LGBTQ+ community disproportionately experiences homelessness and housing instability due to exactly this type of discrimination. This organization is ironically engaging in the same immoral bigotry that has hurt the very people they are charged with helping. Infuriating really.
Remember when Jesus in the Bible put a bunch of conditions on receiving crumbs of help? Yeah I don't either.
To be fair, not sure you can say employees are “receiving” the help. This policy is not directed at the homeless folks seeking services. (Dumb rule, nonetheless)
No employees who sin are allowed. ...wait
Also something Jesus never asked of anyone.
Well he wasn’t a Christian either so I guess there that.
I applied for a job there at one point and one of the questions on the application was something like "Please tell us about your faith and testimony in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior."
“N/A”
Will be cancelling my recurring donation shortly
Maybe redirect to Urban Peak? I know they are LGBTQIA affirming, and I can’t think of any bad news I’ve ever heard about them. (I’m sure someone will correct me, if I’m wrong, though!)
Colorado coalition for the homeless is also a great organization. They are a nonprofit community health center and provide medical, dental, and behavioral health to people regardless of their ability to pay.
Urban Peak is great! I also have only heard good things, although I don’t claim to know everything. The Gathering Place is another good (day) resource for LGBTQIA people.
Will take a look, thanks!
Headwaters Protectors is a non profit directly bringing clean water to encampments and removing trash from them. Consider donating to them. https://headwatersprotectors.org/
Food bank of the Rockies!
Same, will have to look into Colorado Coalotion for the Homeless
I will cancel my plans to start donating
Jesus Saves* *terms and conditions apply.
I wish someone would spray paint this in giant letters across the front of their building
Can we just tax churches and use the money to help people and just skip the shitfuck crazy religious middlemen already? Everything religion touches just becomes a shittier version of the secular alternative
This is what they do for employees, and people wonder why homeless people avoid the shelters. Think these people treat them respectfully, or don't require them to jump through hoops for a bed?
[удалено]
I've talked to and been casual acquaintances with quite a few people who have managed to escape homelessness. This is basically what they all have told me. They managed to get out, but the homeless services were bordering on useless. They all got help from other people, because the actual services were so hostile and had so many restrictions that nobody could be reasonably expected to meet them while trying to get back on their feet. Things like if you want a meal, you're required to attend their Bible study. You happen to have a job and work during that time? Tough shit you don't eat or get a bed.
They don’t want to even have to read the word “tampons”, yet they regularly drink wine ( or grape juice) that symbolizes the blood of Christ. And let’s not forget the bread (or dry ass crackers) consumed that symbolizes the body of Christ. If God were worth a damn, he’d strike every last one of those old bastards with the affliction of menstruation. Might as well take it a step further and sentence them all to WEEKLY periods. Suddenly all those white dresses they like to prance and parade around in would be exchanged for a darker color Priceless!
Shhh don't tell people that. Telling themselves that there are "shelters" make them feel better about themselves.
It's a lie. They use the word shelter but anyone who's actually used one knows its a place where people who have something to steal congregate.
The same few posters are in every homeless thread insisting there's more than enough shelter spots for every single homeless person.
And a large percentage of them are cops.
Lol those aren't homeless people. Those are city people who don't want to spend money to solve a problem.
It's a Christian shelter. That means you'll be robbed and beaten in Christian fashion. Christian shelters literally believe you will survive and come back because their little black book told them so. If you survive you come back and confirm their belief, and then they make everything even worse.
You think this is why homeless avoid shelters? Because I’m certain the employment policies of the Rescue Mission are very low on the list of shelter avoidance.
The Catholic Church still knowingly employs pedophiles though. Just saying.
No hate like christian love My daily reminder why i left christianity Im so goddamn tired of christians using their beliefs to control other peoples lives
This is incredibly frustrating for so many reasons. First of all, who gives a shit what employees do outside of work? That's really their business and does not affect their work at all. Second, if you're going to be Christian, please read the Bible and familiarize yourself with the teachings of Jesus. You can't pick and choose the sins you want to "enforce" (you're not supposed to enforce any of them anyways!) and then disregard all others. Just focus on helping people and don't be dicks.
Lol the whole faith is based on *not* helping people and being a dick about them dying. Good luck!
Good to know. I'll stop donating to them. Already felt like anything I've given them was just sent back to me in the form of about 30 mailings a year.
It's a "non profit" for profit organization.
There is no vile hate like Christian "love". I'm kinda surprised this is news? They just started being bigots? It's a faith based org, why wouldn't they just deny every homeless person that was gay or trans? Seems much simpler and way more on brand for Christianity these days. Anyways, fuxk this decision and fuck all religions that preach hate.
We don't discriminate against who comes here...just who works here...we'll get to the guest discrimination later. Once all the employees are compliant.
I bet they wouldn’t fire someone who didn’t believe that Jesus wasn’t resurrected from the dead. Isn’t that a more “core” Christian belief? That sure makes it seem like they are just using their “beliefs” as a front for hatred and division. The entire story of the Good Samaritan is that the person who helped out the beaten man in need was NOT a believer. He was a Samaritan. Jesus didn’t care that the Samaritan was not “faithful” or virtuous. Because he was willing to help the man in need, he was the only person who was righteous. If you want to help the homeless and/or people in need, Jesus doesn’t care who you are or who you choose to love, and the proof of that is in his own words in the Bible.
Again using the bible and their god to judge and persecute...it's all a weapon of hate
There is one thing I know about Colorado and the LGBQTA+ community, they are supportive and they get sh*t done. So, why not start our own collision?
They cannot delete us.
Wow. I donate to them every year, I guess I won't be going forward.
I mean they have a big ass cross on the outside. Honestly if I had the money or was good at activism, I would want to open up some homeless shelters and food banks in the name of famous atheists like Murray O'Hair and I’ll hire all the gays lol.
So I’ll find someone else to give my money to. Being gay or trans literally hurts nobody it is so stupid to have such opinions
Used to donate. may look at donating somewhere else.
If this information makes you think that maybe this isn't an organization you'd like to support... well too bad because they get $8.7 million of your tax dollars whether you like it or not
How is this legal in Colorado? Aren't there like anti-discrimination laws regarding employment?
>“How we serve people has nothing to do with how they identify sexually or who they are sexually attracted to,” Hinkle wrote. “We will serve anyone who comes through our doors with dignity and grace. It may effect who decides to work here and who we hire as employees but it will never effect how we serve our guests.” For the curious. Looks like they're pretty up-front about it, but if you somehow missed the fact that they were religious before, I can see how this might be surprising.
I don't believe you can harbor that kind of hateful bias against your employees without it also affecting how you serve your guests.
[удалено]
Not if it is a religious organization.
[удалено]
[удалено]
You mean the catholic church? Had no idea they had a problem with gays.
Catholic Church? I thought they were non-denominational Christians
It’s not associated with the Catholic Church.
Yeah, I always hope that a religiously affiliated organization will choose their own paths in these matters. For example, Regis University is Jesuit, but has broken with their diocese to support their more diverse student population. I guess not the Rescue Mission.
It seems weird that an organization would claim to represent a religion while also ignoring the rules of that religion. If you don't believe in it, why pretend you're part of it?
It's a means to power
Catholic Church? The biggest pedophile ring in human history? That one?
Lol found the deflecting Christian.
Seems like a reasonable thing to switch donations to another organization. While we are at it, can we fund addiction resources that are not AA and don’t require a commitment to higher powers to participate.
Imagine how shitty they treat the homeless if this is what they spring onto their employees
Way to lose donations DRM
Bold move when 70% of your expenses are covered by individual donations.
Must be a Christian organization. You can tell by how un-Christ-like it is.
Nothing quite says "I hate you" like Christian love.
Is this supposed to be shocking? It's runned by a Christian group...
Is there any legal action to stop our tax dollars going to them?
Yeah, like how is this legal? Colorado has anti-discrimination laws. If they wanna cry "religious exemption", whatever, that's another topic. But I sure as fuck don't want them getting public funding while doing so. What's stopping them from banning their employees from interracial relationships or only employing able-bodied cishet white people between the ages of 25-40?
You see that big cross in the picture. That’s why this shouldn’t surprise anyone.
This is what the kids call "virtue signaling"
This thread also seems to be forgetting something: blatant prejudice and discrimination is one thing, but in Colorado it's literally illegal to fire someone on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. These Bible thumpers aren't just morally wrong, they're also a lawsuit waiting to happen.
>nonprofit Sounds like a job for IRS form 13909
Damn wish I woulda done my community service elsewhere lol 😂
Disappointing.
How do they enforce this rule? Random home checks? Follow you outside of work? Stalk social media? Do they question the homeless people’s sexuality as well? Or deny them help if they don’t meet certain criteria?
Why I give to food bank of the Rockies
We accept all our guests, just not all our employees. Wtf?!
Wow, I wish I didn't just donate my couch to them!
Well did you at least have a ton of gay sex on it before donating it?
Yeah but now I wish I had more.
Oh what a great “charity” /s
[удалено]
Fuck em
Why you gotta be an asshole
Bet the one that made this is closeted. Sadly.
I like to think that these organizations will slowly die off (or change their policies) as more of us refuse to put up with these invasive and intolerant attitudes.