Bishops Oppose Trans-Inclusive Athletic Policy While H.S. Student Supports It
Opposing voices who attended the early December board meeting
High school athletics in Minnesota became more transgender-inclusive last week despite opposition from the Minnesota Catholic Conference and other groups. Yet, a brave student at a Catholic high school in the Twin Cities editorialized in the school paper in favor of the new policy.
The board of the Minnesota State High School League voted 18-2 for a new student policy that makes trans women eligible for female athletics at almost 500 schools in the state. Guided by a “consistent or sincerely held gender-related identity, the policy sets forth a process for determining a given student’s eligibility and adds appropriate language to existing eligibility policies. This policy is being lauded by LGBT organizations, according to the Star Tribune:
“Monica Meyer, executive director at OutFront Minnesota, which advocates for transgender issues, said, ‘All students want is a safe place to just be who they are. That includes in the classroom, on the court or field.’…
“OutFront Minnesota Communications Director Jean Heyer said, ‘We have heard trans kids are playing sports right now, and we have heard that there are kids who will try out now that the policy is in place.’ “
However, religiously-affiliated schools are exempt from the new policy and Christian groups led opposition to the anti-discrimination measure. The Minnesota Catholic Conference teamed up with the Minnesota Family Council and others in a campaign, claiming the policy would cause great harm to students and athletic competition. There were also ads employing the now-common tactic of discussing restroom use. One email from the Minnesota Catholic Conference, reported by The Column said:
” ‘The Policy will potentially cause more harm to the very students it purports to help because it enables a false understanding of gender that does not promote physical or psychological well-being.’ “
In further letters from the Catholic Conference to the Minnesota State High School League board, executive director Jason Adkins said the now-approved policy supports “gender confusion” and because it is not required by state or federal law, is really “propaganda” for a “harmful ideology.”
Parker Breza, the In-Depth Editor of The Knight Errant, the student newspaper of Benilde-St. Margaret’s High School, St. Louis Park, Minnesota, wrote an essay for the paper supporting the new policy. Breza explained the problems that trans students experience in school:
“Transgender and gender nonconforming students are faced with a binary––a male/female gender spectrum––defined world every second of everyday. For the majority of students, this is not an issue: this two-sided way of thinking has been ingrained in us from a young age, leading us to accept it without much thought. For some, however, being forced to conform to the gender binary, or not allowing them to identify where they actually belong, causes stress, anxiety, depression, and sometimes, much more.
“But this is such a small minority of individuals, so many do not even pause to think about the consequences of an unwelcome environment for trans* (the asterisk denotes the vast spectrum of terms and identities that fall under the trans* umbrella) identified students.”
Breza goes on to make an important Catholic argument in support of the new policy:
“As a Catholic school, we know the importance of breaking down systems of oppression and fighting the marginalization of historically underrepresented groups. No matter how small a group, no community deserves to be subjected to exclusion, harassment, or violence. By not taking a stand for trans* students and their rights, you are condoning trans*phobia.”
That Catholic officials in Minnesota are disappointing in their public advocacy is not new, given the 2012 referendum around marriage equality. Their arguments rely on debunked science, while ignoring or even attacking the real experiences of transgender people and their allies. Their campaigns against equality under the law rely on fear rather than truth, turning to anti-LGBT agendas rather than the Gospel to inform their efforts.
As more trans youth are liberated to come out and live authentically, Catholic leaders at all levels should forgo the political fights and instead figure out how the church’s schools can provide welcome and inclusion for all. Catholic leaders need to listen to students like Parker Breza, whose faith defines a path of acceptance, justice, and equality.
–Bob Shine, New Ways Ministry
In spite of the best efforts of the leadership, members of the
Church see through their false arguments to find the true teachings of Jesus.
The Catholic school teachers who support LGBT students are subject to firing.. Every single Catholic must stand up to the Catholic leaders and vocally insist on full inclusion of all our children in school and outside of school. This is not despite being Catholic, but because of it.
The late Stephen Gaskin — a sometimes-provocative but always-interesting counterculture “guru” — remarked that: “Your belly button is your membership card that makes you a member of the human family!” His underlying point is that ALL human beings have sovereign human rights — which our own Constitutional Founders explicitly declared to be “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”. Those who would impede or restrict anyone’s access to those fundamental rights of human citizenship — including the rights of self-expression and the proclamation of authentic self-identity — would be hard-pressed to justify their obstructionism.
It seems the bishops have forgotten this. Much of their “teaching” has to do with who’s in and who’s out and they insist on the exclusive right to decide. Fortunately, most of the church and humanity no longer give them that power.
While I agree with Friends – those leaders would quote O.T. bible verses and say “natural law” dictates. So I ask them to show how LGBT people fit into natural law. Because saying we are intrinsically disordered would indicate that they see that God created junk. Perhaps God created some people differently for a purpose and the challenge is to “love your neighbor”! If they cannot do this then leadership is fooling themselves and trying to get others to follow them in their fallacy! Wake up bishops (especially you gay ones) and be honest!