Ellie Goulding is questioning whether she will still perform at an NFL halftime show on Thanksgiving because of the way its sponsor, the Salvation Army, supposedly treats the LGBTQ community.
In an Instagram post to a follower who brought the organization’s alleged policies to her attention, Goulding wrote, “Upon researching [the allegations], I have reached out to the Salvation Army and said that I would have no choice but to pull out unless they very quickly made a solid, committed pledge or donation to the LGBTQ community.”
The user’s original post — which was a comment on a photo of Goulding in a Salvation Army uniform — and Goulding’s reply appear to have been deleted as of Thursday morning, but NBC News captured a screenshot of the exchange.
The performance would coincide with the launch of the Army’s Red Kettle Campaign, which raises money for people in need.
The Salvation Army has long faced claims that they shun the LGBTQ community in various ways. Out magazine reports that the organization allegedly will not house same-sex couples unless they split, endorses conversion therapy and asks employees not to weigh in on same sex marriage. The magazine also claims that the Salvation Army refuses to help trans people. A post on the Salvation Army website refutes many of these claims.
Goulding was replying to a user who claimed the organization was “extremely homo/transphobic literally to the point of letting queer homeless people die.” The user has since walked back her claims somewhat, saying she was misinformed but stood by her claim of mistreatment of LGBTQ people.
Goulding’s reply to the user’s original post said, “I am a committed philanthropist as you probably know, and my heart has always been in helping the homeless, but supporting anti-LGBTQ charity is clearly not something I would ever intentionally do.”
A spokesman for the Salvation Army, David Hudson, responded to Goulding’s message in a statement. “With an organization of our size and history, myths can perpetuate,” he wrote, according to NBC News. “An individual’s sexual or gender identity, religion, or lifestyle has no bearing on our willingness to provide service. We stand firmly behind our mission to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.”
The game, which will see the Dallas Cowboys face off against the Buffalo Bills, will begin at 4:30 p.m. EST on Thanksgiving. Goulding has not yet publicly announced whether or not she will perform at the halftime show. But on early Thursday morning, she was posting tweets in support of the Salvation Army.
A rep for Goulding did not respond to Rolling Stone’s request for comment on Thursday.
In the meantime, Goulding has released a cover of Joni Mitchell’s ode to Christmas escapism, “River,” which originally appeared on her Blue album. Goulding’s cover, which finds her stretching her voice over piano in a reverent performance, is an Amazon Original, meaning you need to have a subscription to hear the whole thing. You can hear an excerpt of it, though, in a behind-the-scenes video she released publicly.
“I have always loved Joni Mitchell,” Goulding said in the video. “She was one of the first female artists that made me want to be a singer. She’s one of the greatest songwriters of all time, and I just truly hope I’ve done this song some justice.”