How Philip Joined Team Salvation Army
Two years ago, a coworker and long-standing supporter of The Salvation Army asked Philip Maziarz to consider serving on the Army’s Chicago Advisory Board. It was a big ask. Philip was aware of media stories regarding a strained relationship between The Salvation Army and the LGBTQ+ community but didn’t know specific details of events often noted. If Philip said yes, he would become the first openly gay person to serve on the board.
Philip asked his coworker, an outgoing Army board member and senior leader at his firm, a lot of questions about the programs, policies, and services that the Army provides. He also asked for time to research the history of past events and discuss the decision with his husband, Kevin.
Research, Reforms, and Room to Grow
As he read up on past controversies and incidents, Philip noticed that most incidents in the U.S. were often individual people at Salvation Army-run locations making unfortunate decisions, not Salvation Army policies. The Army has implemented reforms, reversed their stance on anti-gay lobbying, and are now dedicated to helping all people in need, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. He learned about the safety dorm that the Army runs for homeless LGBTQ+ individuals in southern Nevada, the support they provide for the LGBTQ+ community at the Army’s Harbor Light shelter in Minneapolis, and the various long-standing relationships the Army has with LGBTQ+ community organizations.
“I realized that something that happened in 1990-something is not always indicative of where an organization is today,” he said. “Everyone has different views over time. At one time, ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ seemed like a good idea within the construct of the U.S. military, but ended up doing more harm than good. Ten years ago, I couldn’t get married in this country to my husband. Twenty years ago, I could be fired on the basis of my sexual orientation in Illinois. We learn from our experiences, which helps to expand our views on policies, practices, and social norms.”
He was impressed with the work The Salvation Army does throughout the Chicagoland area and beyond. “The good they do for the community and for people in need, you have to take that into consideration too,” he said. “I’m not excusing the behavior, lobbying, or incidents that occurred in the past but realized that if I looked for the perfect organization with a pristine track record, I’d never find it. It just became clear to me that the decision that could have the biggest upside for the LGBTQ+ community in the future was to help shape the position of it from within.”
A Trial Run
Eventually, Philip agreed to join the board. “In my head, it was a trial run,” he said. “People can say things, but what are their actions?” He wanted to get a firsthand perspective of the Army’s programs and people before fully committing – and before telling anyone besides his husband and a small group of friends about his decision.
“I took a good year before talking about it,” he said. “I wanted to understand more before having any of those discussions. I wanted to be able to speak based on facts and experiences.”
As he started attending the board meetings, Philip said he was welcomed with open arms. “I present who I am. I don’t make a big deal about anything. It shouldn’t be a big deal,” he said, adding that no one batted an eye when he mentioned his husband. In fact, soon they were asking about Kevin and their two dogs.
As Philip has become familiar with the Army, he said he’s especially impressed with the services they provide to youth. “I was wowed by the Kroc Center,” he said, noting how well it’s run. He also said he’s impressed by the fact that our crisis response is ongoing. “You don’t leave when it’s over. You’re there the whole time.”
Going the Distance
This fall, Philip will make his involvement much more public when he and Kevin run with Team Salvation Army in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. “Coming out of COVID, I needed a goal. And this will provide a nice segue for talking about it,” Philip said, referring to his role on the Army’s advisory board.
This will be Philip’s second marathon and Kevin’s first. They’ve already started training and Philip admits Kevin runs faster than he does. Still, he advised his husband, “You have to take it easy. You can’t go hard out of the gate. You have to build on a series of baby steps to get to the end.”
As part of Team Salvation Army, they will also raise funds to support our programs. Philip says they’re excited to work together on a project that supports the local community. When they discuss this involvement with their friends and family, Philip says he’ll tell them, “There’s so much that the Army does that you don’t know about. So much good. Every day I’m surprised.”