LGBTQ+ activists and advocates held a press conference organized by “Reclaim Pride Coalition” outside the Samaritan’s Purse hospital tent in Central Park on April 14, 2020, denouncing the organization’s homophobic and transphobic policies. According to the organization’s website – the organization was founded by right-wing pastor Franklin Graham – all volunteers, including health care workers, are required to sign a “Statement of Faith,” which defines marriage as the union between “one genetic male and one genetic female.” When pressed about the organization’s discriminatory policies, on March 31, Mayor de Blasio said that “he had been assured, their hospital would adhere to New York City’s non-discrimination policies.” However, the organization has turned away volunteers over their sexuality since.
A. Timothy Lunceford-Stevens, a longtime activist and advocate and member of ACT UP, has worked on HIV and AIDS issues for 40 years and has lobbied for Autism, Cancer, AIDS, ALS. Last week, he offered his services as a volunteer at the Samaritan’s Purse Central Park tent. Given Mr. Lunceford-Stevens’ vast experience and qualification, the organization was ready to hire him. At the end of the interview process, they asked him to sign their “Statement of Faith.” He told them that he was eager to do the work, but that he could not sign the statement because of its homophobic and transphobic language condemning “the lost to eternal punishment in hell.” Only then did they reject his application without further communication. Mr. Lunceford-Steven, “I have lost friends, and I have been exposed to COVID-19, but I am lucky I was negative. Donald Trump is a killer with all of his delays and lies since October 2019. New York City needs all the help it can get right now, including mine. We do not need evangelical proselytizing by a group that thinks hate is more important than saving lives.”
James Finn, a retired entrepreneur and business manager from Michigan, had a similar experience. He created an account and applied to volunteer for the Samaritan’s Purse hospital tent in New York City. According to the website, Samaritan’s Purse is not only looking for medical professionals but also business professionals to help direct their efforts. Five minutes after he had started the online application process, he was asked to review their “Statement of Faith,” which reads, “We believe… God created man and woman as unique biological persons made to complete each other. God instituted monogamous marriage between male and female… as the basic structure of human society. For this reason, we believe that marriage is exclusively the union of one genetic male and one genetic female. Furthermore, we believe that God will reward the righteous with eternal life in heaven and that He will banish the unrighteous to everlasting punishment in hell.” He unsuccessfully tried various ways to apply without having to affirm the statement.
The Samaritan’s Purse field hospital, a 68-bed respiratory care unit, was set up at the end of March for overflow COVID-19 patients from Mount Sinai. LGBTQ+ members and allies quickly pointed out the organization’s anti-LGBTQ+ and Islamophobic agenda. In response, Franklin Graham has doubled down on his policy, which allegedly bans LGBTQ+ people from volunteering at his emergency field hospital in Central Park. In an interview with “The Charlotte Observer,” he clarified that it was very important that all the people who work with his organization are Christians, and that homosexuals, as well as those who drink alcohol and use drugs, did not align with their core values. “All of our doctors and nurses and staff, they’re Christians,” he said, “So, we try to screen the people that work with us. And we want men and women who believe the way we do and have the same core values that we have.”
Activists urged New York City’s Human Rights Commission to conduct a full investigation in Samaritan’s Purse and its hiring practice and called on elected officials to come up with a plan requiring the organization to adhere to New York City’s non-discrimination laws. Jay W. Walker, LGBTQ+ activist and member of the political action group Rise and Resist, “Mayor de Blasio, Governor Cuomo, we need better from you. I find mystifying that the two of you would ever align yourself with organized hatred and bigotry. We, the richly diverse communities of New York, are demanding some answers. How was this group ever considered to bring their hatred and their vitreal into our city at a time of crisis?”
Mr. Walker wondered if they had ever bothered to google field hospitals on the East Coast when the topic came up, and he pointed out that after a quick search, he found quite a few without a religious agenda and which do not discriminate. “Why was Samaritan’s Purse the go-to, who brought them to the table?” He asked and continued, “New Yorkers need to know before we find out that the KKK has been brought in to start beautifying our highways as they do in many locations in the South. Frankly, next pandemic, maybe our elected officials will bring them in to run a field hospital. They got plenty of masks and gowns.” He further urged everyone to reach out to elected officials demanding accountability. “Let’s make this a teachable moment for our political and healthcare leadership so they can avoid inflicting this kind of pain on our communities in the future.”
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