Ellie Goulding threatens to pull out of Cowboy’s Thanksgiving half time show over Salvation Army sponsorship

British singer Ellie Goulding whose hits include “Love Me Like You Do”, “Lights”, and “Burn” is scheduled to perform on Thanksgiving Day at the Cowboys half time show. However, the singer is having some issues with the Salvation Army as sponsor, demanding that the organization make a donation to an LGBTQ group or she will pull out of the show.

Goulding issued the request after receiving backlash from an Instagram post where she was partnering with the organization in New York. Some people commented that the Salvation Army is not supportive of the LGBTQ community.

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Ok so maybe hairnet not my strongest look but thank you @salvationarmyus for having us in New York. As you know, I have spent a lot of time in shelters in London, and this was my first time in NYC… The Salvation Army annually helps more than 23 million Americans overcome poverty, addiction and economic hardships through a range of social services. By providing food for the hungry, emergency relief for disaster survivors, rehabilitation for those suffering from drug and alcohol abuse, and clothing and shelter for people in need. I sat and spoke to several people who had come in from the bitter cold for some food (they serve to over 150 per day here) , warmth and perhaps a chat with one of the volunteers. 🙏🏼

A post shared by elliegoulding (@elliegoulding) on Nov 12, 2019 at 6:30am PST

According to the Dallas Morning News, Goulding replied to the comments, saying, “Upon researching this, I have reached out to The Salvation Army and said that I would have no choice but to pull out unless they very quickly make a solid, committed pledge or donation to the LGBTQ community,” she wrote. “I am a committed philanthropist as you probably know, and my heart has always been in helping the homeless, but supporting an anti-LGBTQ charity is clearly not something I would ever intentionally do. Thank you for drawing my attention to this.”

The Salvation Army confirmed the singer will still perform, although she herself has not commented on that. The organization also didn’t comment on if they plan to make a donation to a LGBTQ group like she requested.