Color Splash star David Bromstad finds himself in the middle of a gay-rights controversy after he agreed to host a south Florida fundraiser for the Salvation Army, an organization accused of being anti-gay.
The openly gay Bromstad, who appears on cable’s HGTV, took to his Facebook page in an open letter to fans to tell them he believes the event is “one step in the right direction toward equality.”
The Red Shield ReDesign Bash, scheduled for October 18 in Wilton Manors, invites 25 designers to create pieces of furniture from trash for prizes. Bromstad will judge the entries.
The pieces will be auctioned at the event and proceeds will benefit Salvation Army programs for homeless families.
Bromstad’s post on September 28 drew hundreds of comments, some disapproving. Two days later, Bromstad’s partner Jeff, posted a response accusing critics of being jealous. He said the Salvation Army has made “great strides” in regards to equality, though he did not elaborate.
The Salvation Army has historically been known to discriminate against gays, including complaints by homeless LGBT people that the organization has turned them down over their sexual orientation and others who have said they were discriminated against in the hiring process.
Bromstad’s post, in its entirety, appears below:
Dear Fans,
I’ve read your feedback on my participation with The Salvation Army USA. As an openly gay person who just happens to also be a celebrity, I took the Salvation Army’s request to participate in their fundraiser as one step in the right direction towards equality, he wrote in a September 28 post. If we simply separate ourselves from those that we assume oppose us or our beliefs then we will never make strides in the right direction. I applaud the Salvation Army’s symbolic handshake towards acceptance and would be foolish to not extend my hand in acceptance.
And here’s his partner Jeff’s response:
Jealous queens not one of them can claim to have done more for LGBT rights then David has. They simply have to google his name and see the awards he’s won for exactly that. How dare they challenge his record on those grounds. Plus the Salvation Army has made great strides in these areas. It’s the dumb fuck gays that rely in hearsay and innuendo to base their retarded responses. I dare any of the naysayers to compare their record of supporting LGBT and equality issues against David’s prior to posting their dumb ass statements. You can post that as coming from me…
