The Norwegian tabloid daily Dagbladet writes today that it will no longer cooperate with the Salvation Army. Dagbladet has been the Salvation Army´s key partner for the very popular and profitable Christmas concerts, but since the story broke of the Army´s blatantly discriminating employment policies, openly targeting and victimising gays for their sexual orientation, so many artists have withdrawn from further participation in these concerts that the whole event has become more of an embarrassment to everyone involved. (20-SEP-06)
Based on Dagbladet´s own coverage and previous articles on this very same story on this webage, this article has been written by HRH F / Niels Jacob Harbitz.
Dagbladet´s Editor in Chief Anne Aasheim emphasises that her newspaper and the Salvation Arm are parting on good terms, after a decade of cooperation. The joining of forces between the two big institutions has generated millions of Norwegian kroner of income to the Salvation Army, a source of income that will no longer be there. In addition to Dagbladet´s promotion and logistics input, the artists have largely considered it so much of an honour to take part in this grand galla that they have literally been queing up tp do it for free. To then as well, this has been tremendous publicity.
-A fall from grace
Now, all this has been turned on its head. Anyone performing for the Salvation Army from now on will be considered either ignorant or openly homophobic, like the Army itself. The close to seventy star solo artists and bands who have contributed over the decade that this concert has been such a huge hit, also with the audiences, are now quietly backing out. As one of them said, in terms that the Army will understand, -this is such a fall from grace that for years to come, and certainly not until they have changed their minds about their employment policies towards gays, it will be hard to raise up and stand tall again.
