The College of William & Mary Honors Gay Historian John Boswell; And Other News

Here are some items that you might find of interest:

1) The College of William and Mary dedicated an academic building to historian John Boswell, the scholar behind a groundbreaking 1980 book which revealed parts of pre-modern Catholic history where there was greater tolerance for LGBTQ people. Boswell was an alum of the college. Katherine Rowe, William and Mary’s president, commented, “John Boswell transformed the intellectual landscape for LGBTQ+ scholars and profoundly changed our understanding of LGBTQ+ history.”

2) The Durham Catholic District School Board will include sexual orientation as part of data collected during its first student census next spring aimed at addressing diversity, inclusion, and equity. For more information, click here.

3) The LGBT Outreach Commission of the Diocese of Lexington issued a statement for Respect Life Month that encourages Catholics to include LGBTQ people in the church’s work for human dignity. The statement highlighted some of the diocesan efforts to build inclusion, and it framed LGBTQ ministry as part of helping people live full lives. To read the statement published in the National Catholic Reporter, click here.

4) Marking the anniversary of his audience with Pope Francis, Jesuit Fr. James Martin wrote in the National Catholic Reporter about the eleven key steps Francis has taken to expand LGBTQ welcome in the church. For Martin’s commentary, click here.

—Robert Shine, New Ways Ministry, October 11, 2021