eBay solicits donations for non-inclusive organizations

[gpspilot]

eBay just asked me for a donation to the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which "provides quality care for LGBTQ+ people."

So it doesn't provide care for heterosexual people with AIDS.  Therefore, I did not donate.

I've always been told that no one should be discriminated against on the basis of their sexual orientation.  Here's what ChatGPT says about this:

Discrimination should be condemned, and support for those affected by HIV/AIDS should be inclusive and non-discriminatory.  Before donating to any organization, it's a good practice to research their mission, values, and the specific programs they support. This will help ensure that your contribution aligns with your values and that you're supporting a cause that works towards inclusivity and equality.

[monroe67]

"eBay just asked me for a donation to the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which "provides quality care for LGBTQ+ people."

So it doesn't provide care for heterosexual people with AIDS.  Therefore, I did not donate."

That's one heck of a gigantic leap to make.  
Further in your post, you say -- after you consulted ChatGPT, -- but why???  Isn't that an Artificial Intelligence tool to help (some) people write intelligible sentences and paragraphs?  Do you think ChatGPT is the same as Google or Wikipedia?

Anyway, ChatGPT gave you this:  "Before donating to any organization, it's a good practice to research their mission, values, and the specific programs they support."

Something tells me you did not research the mission of the Elton John AIDS Foundation.  

[mudshark61369]

@gpspilot,

By the tenor of your post, I would guess you do not donate to charities that only benefit veterans, cancer patients, women, men, disaster survivors, etc., because they only provide assistance to those people.  No one is forcing you to donate to any charity you would not personally support yourself.

[gpspilot]

Hi mudshark,

I have donated to the American Cancer Society, but if it discriminated on the basis of race, or gender, or sexual orientation, etc. – like some of the charities that eBay has promoted – I would not have donated.  That's a reasonable position, right?  Don't understand why I'm getting pushback.

[gpspilot]

eBay says the Foundation "provides quality care for LGBTQ+ people."

If it actually provides care to everyone, shouldn't eBay have said so?   If a charity is inclusive, normally one wouldn't obfuscate that fact by using non-inclusive language.

[gpspilot]

Ah, good to know!   This is all down to eBay writing a poor description of what the Foundation does.

[gpspilot]

If I dislike charities that discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, how have I twisted something?  Please explain.

[albertabrightalberta]

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@gpspilot wrote:

Of course charitable donations are optional.  When they become mandatory, they're called taxes. 

Why are you angry at me?  I'm not the entity promoting charities that discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.

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Why would you think I'm "angry" just because I suggested that you ignore suggestions that insult or don't interest you? 

[albertabrightalberta]

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@gpspilot wrote:

Hi mudshark,

I have donated to the American Cancer Society, but if it discriminated on the basis of race, or gender, or sexual orientation, etc. – like some of the charities that eBay has promoted – I would not have donated.  That's a reasonable position, right?  Don't understand why I'm getting pushback.

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But based on your premise, wouldn't you think the American Cancer Society discriminates against people who don't have cancer? 

[gpspilot]

Are you sure that the + in LGBTQ+ doesn't include heterosexual people?  

I'm pretty sure it does not.   If it did, the "LGBTQ+ community" would be a synonym for "everyone," and what would be the point of creating and using that acronym?

[albertabrightalberta]

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@gpspilot wrote:

If it actually provides care to everyone, shouldn't eBay have said so?   If a charity is inclusive, normally one wouldn't obfuscate that fact by using non-inclusive language.

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@gpspilot wrote:

This is all down to eBay writing a poor description of what the Foundation does.

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Ebay doesn't write the description of the mission of charities. That's written by the charitable organization itself. 

[whatmorefabric]

Elton John's Foundation serves all communities.     They concentrate on  underserved communities,  such as  in Africa,   India and other countries that lack funds to provide medicine.

They provide to everyone regardless of color or sexual orientation.     They also work to overcome the stigma,  like back here in the 80's ,  against gay HIV positive that are often punished or ignored in these communities.

They have sent funds to poor rural American counties were residents do not have access to healthcare.

[gpspilot]

If making resources equally available to adults and children is important to you, you definitely shouldn't donate to St. Jude's.

Furthermore, I think St Jude's should discriminate on the basis of income.  I wouldn't want to see one of Elon Musk's kids receiving free care from St. Jude's, and diverting resources away from a low-income family.

[gpspilot]

If eBay promotes non-inclusive charities, the best solution is not to merely ignore the problem.  The best solution is for eBay to stop doing that.

Now, it has been pointed out to me that the Elton John AIDS Foundation does not in fact discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, as indicated by eBay's poorly-written description.  So in this case, we can all rest easy.

[gone.c-33]

Catering to marginalized groups isn’t being non-inclusive, it’s merely focusing services to historically and currently underserved populations. 

I can assure you the straights are still safe.

[ebooksdiva]

Oh…I see it says optional...so you couldn’t just decline to donate and leave at that?