Baltimore Archdiocese Cancels Trans Workshop Fearing Protests; And More News

The following are some items that may be of interest:

1. The Archdiocese of Baltimore cancelled a workshop on transgender issues planned for its Social Ministry Convocation last month after protestors alleged they would disrupt the program. The workshop will be rescheduled due to safety concerns, though it already prompted additional security for the Convocation. LEAD, an LGBTQ+ ministry at St. Matthew’s Church, Baltimore, which helped organize the workshop, issued a statement affirming the group’s commitment to an inclusive church and solidarity with LGBTQ+ people. The group also appealed for dialogue:

“We love our Catholic faith and desire dialogue and healthy, loving discussions. We believe that marginalized people have much to contribute to our growing understanding of God’s love and truth in our lives today. This greater understanding can be achieved by listening with open hearts to the lived experiences of others that are different from us.”

2. A Catholic Charities of Louisville staff member, Becky Burnside, has helped honor the life of a Black transgender woman, Zachee Imanitwitaho, murdered in that city last month. Burnside read a statement from Imanitwitaho’s family, who immigrated from Rwanda in 2019, and added her own comments about the victim’s “big smile, her excitement to be here in the U.S. and start her life, find a job, support herself and her family. . .she was a real light that will be missed.” The LGBTQ+ community in Louisville held vigils mourning Imanitwitaho, and many people blame anti-transgender laws introduced in Kentucky as a contributing factor in the murder.

3. Some 150 people protested outside the funeral of Cardinal George Pell in Sydney, Australia last month, requiring some police intervention after protestors and attendees scuffled. Preceding the funeral, Australian police denied a permit to advocates of LGBTQ+ people and survivors of sexual abuse who sought to protest, and then appealed to the courts to uphold the denied permit. Pell was highly LGBTQ-negative as both archbishop of Sydney and a Vatican official, suggesting that being gay was a health risk and denying Communion to Catholics wearing rainbow sashes.

4. In January, Dignity/San Francisco began a year of celebrations for its 50th anniversary. As one of ten founding chapters of DignityUSA, the community has a long history of community building and advocacy detailed by the Bay Area Reporter. Marianne Duddy-Burke, executive director of DignityUSA, commented: “For any queer group to survive and make an impact for 50 years is truly incredible. . .I hope many in the SF queer and broader community, as well as Catholic organizations around the city, will take time to honor this incredibly tenacious and prophetic group.”

5. A representative of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines pushed back against an LGBTQ+ group participating in a Christmas lantern parade, the theme of which was human rights, reported UCA News. The group sponsored a large rainbow lantern with the word “equality” on it to signify support for marriage equality and other rights. However, Fr. Rico Ayo, chair of the bishops’ Family and Life Commission, criticized the inclusion of this lantern, saying, in part: “Yes, Christmas is for all as Christ came to redeem the world and all of mankind. But this does not mean that when we talk about moral issues like gay rights or same-sex marriage, the Catholic Church will allow it because of the idea that Christmas is for all. There are boundaries.”

—Robert Shine (he/him), New Ways Ministry, March 4, 2023