The Salvation Army’s Chicago area division says donations through its Red Kettle Campaign are down 13 percent over last year.

So far, the bell ringers have received about $4.1 million in those familiar red pots. That’s compared with $4.6 million last year at this time.

Spokeswoman Dee McKinsey told the Associated Press she believes the bad weather and the economy are the culprits.

But the Huffington Post suggests that widespread publicity about the Salvation Army’s anti-gay positions are also cutting into the charity’s take this winter. A number of activists nationwide, including Chicago’s Andy Thayer, have been publicizing those policies in recent months.

HuffPo cites evidence that an active social media campaign opposing the Salvation Army drove donations sharply lower in that city and nation-wide last year.

The Salvation Army’s website says, “Scripture forbids sexual intimacy between members of the same sex.” It goes on to say that while the group “does not consider same-sex orientation blameworthy in itself,” it suggests that gay followers “embrace celibacy as a way of life.”

“You can say you are the nicest Christian organization in the world, but if you are sending a message that some people are more equal than others–that is not acceptable,” Thayer told Chicagoist in November.