Medford’s city attorney says no bias against LGBTQ+ people was found
Chad McComas is the founder of Set Free Christian Fellowship in Medford. The city released a report Friday saying it had found no evidence of discrimination against LGBTQ+ people by church-linked nonprofits.
Medford’s city attorney has found no evidence Set Free Church has discriminated against LGBTQ+ people and is recommending the city lift the freeze on an $11,550 grant to the nonprofit .
Medford City Attorney Eric Mitton 25 page reportreleased Friday, details the city’s investigation into Set Free Services, Set Free Christian Fellowship and Chad McComas, the organizations’ founder, following allegations that emerged last month of the nonprofits’ endorsement of the controversial gay conversion therapy.
The city’s investigation was sparked by a June 9 report from two nonprofits, the Siskiyou Abolition Project and Siskiyou Rising Tide, which claimed that Celebrate Recovery meetings held at Set Free, 1032 W. Main St. , endorsed gay conversion therapy as recently as 2018 and distributed copies. from a pamphlet entitled “Same-Sex Attraction: The Problem and the Solution for Men.”
McComas is also the founder of Rogue Retreat, which provides numerous homeless services, but the city says the Siskiyou report “conflates Set Free with Rogue Retreat” and notes that they have separate headquarters in different locations.
“More importantly, Rogue Retreat has a 14-member board of directors representing a wide variety of community organizations and community perspectives,” McComas wrote, listing a board that includes defense attorneys, educators, social workers and bank executives, among others.
The city report notes that McComas was asked on camera if he believed same-sex attraction was a sin in a June 9 interview by a local television station.
“I believe that, but that’s not going to change the way people are treated,” McComas said on camera.
The investigation determined that the pamphlet was distributed as part of Set Free Christian Fellowship’s “quasi-franchise relationship” with the 12-step Celebrate Recovery program based in Saddleback, California. The city determined that the brochure was one of many pamphlets provided as a package.
The flier directed people to future Celebrate Recovery meetings, which covered a variety of issues including addiction, anger, codependency and problem gambling.
“This is not to say that Celebrate Recovery did not have this module (conversion therapy) in 2018—Celebrate Recovery did—but it does corroborate the concept that Celebrate Recovery’s materials were obtained by [Set Free Christian Fellowship] as a package, the ‘Same-Sex Attraction’ brochure was one of many brochures provided as part of that package, and this specific brochure was not specifically sought by SFCF,” Mitton wrote.
The city defined Set Free Christian Fellowship as legally separate from city grant recipient Set Free Services, which last year received $11,550 from the city for emergency food supplies, supplies for a shower and laundry trailer and supplies for a laundry trailer.
Set Free Services provided fairness statements with its 2021 grant application stating that the nonprofit “does not discriminate in any of its activities on the basis of age, race, color, national origin, gender, identity of gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, disability or marital status.”
Mitton stated in the conclusion of the report that the city takes these statements seriously and that it hopes that programs supported by city grants are available to everyone, “including members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
“For members of this community reading this report: You are invited to participate in the grant services at Set Free Services, and you do not need to hide who you are to do so. You will not be asked to participate in any religious practice to do it,” Mitton wrote. “Your equality matters to us, and we will advocate for your equal access to all city services and all services supported by city grants.”
The city’s report recommended some minor revisions to the policy, such as adding signs assuring homeless people that Set Free’s shower, laundry and food services are available to all.
Contact Mail Tribune Web Editor Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or nmorgan@rosebudmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MTwebeditor.
