Sacred Heart U. Celebrates Coming Out Day; More Campus News

Today’s post features several Catholic colleges that are seeking to provide greater support to students in the LGBTQ+ community.

Sacred Heart University Fosters Catholic LGBTQ+ Pride

As a part of campus inclusion efforts, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, Connecticut, held its fourth annual Coming Out Day celebration on campus. The event involved the University choir, talks from students and staff, and a keynote lecture from Erick Russell, the State Treasurer of Connecticut, the first openly gay Black person to serve in state office.

At event, Sacred Heart President John J. Petillo said:

“Each of us is a child of God… That is our fundamental belief within this community. Equality is rooted not in laws, but firmly in the hearts and minds of the community, this community. Once again, we gather to unequivocally profess our support for each of our sisters and brothers. We refuse to be bullied into silence.”

The Coming Out Day celebration is but one of many of student-led events and initiatives on campus, such as gender-affirming clothing swaps. Nicole Sperling, president of the campus’ Gender and Sexuality Alliance, said she has noticed “so much change” due to student efforts for LGBTQ+ inclusion. “I was one of the many voices advocating and supporting the queer community here at Sacred Heart,” she said.

For Sperling, the resources and friendships she found within the Sacred Heart community ultimately helped her to come out as bisexual. Sperling commented, “I found my voice, and I became true to who I was — one of the biggest goals I wanted to achieve when coming into college.”

In 2021, some 200 faculty and staff at Sacred Heart University, including President Petillo, signed New Ways Ministry’s statement, “A Home for All: A Catholic Call for LGBTQ Non-Discrimination.”

Manhattan College Opens Pride Center

Manhattan College, Riverdale, New York, announced the opening of its campus’ Pride Center. Tiffany French, co-director of the new center, has advocated for students who face various discriminations since she joined the campus community in 2014. She has served in a variety of administrative roles since then. Student newspaper The Quadrangle reported about how French highlighted her own identity that led to her inclusion work:

“’I, as a lesbian woman, always had a focus on making sure LGBTQ students felt included, safe and seen which led to a diversity Climate Survey in 2020, which tackles a lot of issues around racial justice and social justice, especially after the murder of George Floyd.'”

By opening a Pride Center at a Catholic College, French is hopeful that the center will provide a safe space for Catholic students to navigate their own identities. She explained:

“’I think this space also gives people an opportunity to dialogue and think about how LGBTQ folks fit into the Catholic space because it can be a little tough for them to navigate their faith and their LGBTQ identity…I think that the center is a really good opportunity for us to be able to talk about those sorts of things with one another more comfortably and remember the mission words of respect and dignity for all people.'”

Melanie Estrella, a peace studies and philosophy major, spoke to the pressing need for the center:

“‘I was an RA [resident assistant] last year, and I had students that would talk to me about some of the microaggressions they would experience or how they felt like their roommates might treat them a little bit differently based on just the way that they express themselves or identify. So, I hope the center will really be that place of home for those that need it.'”

University of Portland Affirms Transgender Students

The University of Portland (UP), Oregon has worked to provide a safe space for transgender students after the Archdiocese of Portland released gender identity guidelines earlier this year. The guidelines, among other negative aspects, requires schools to refer to LGBTQ+ students according to their birth names and pronouns, rather than chosen ones.

August Stone, president of UP’s Gender and Sexuality Partnership Club, pointed to the danger of not respecting people, which they perceived in the archdiocese’s document, entitled “A Catholic Response to Gender Identity Theory.” Stone stated:

“‘Frankly, what the archbishop said was dangerous… There’s research showing that the importance of using chosen names with younger people decreases the risk of suicide and depression greatly.'”

UP initially responded to the Archdiocese’s guidelines by stating that it “will not affect UP’s support of transgender and gender-nonconforming people at UP,” but transgender students on campus felt that response was not sufficient. Stone, who is transgender themself, stated:

“‘They think they’re supporting but I don’t think that’s enough…A spirit of inclusion is not actual inclusion. No matter how good their intentions are, without proper training and understanding and taking the time to acknowledge past and current behaviors, specifically about trans students and their experiences on campus, they are not being the allies they think they are.'”

Holy Cross Fr. Peter Walsh, UP’s director of campus ministry, is hopeful that trans students can reconnect with their faith through the school’s faith community programs. Walsh stated:

“‘Our goal is always to continue to build that inclusive community… It can be a difficult conversation in [trans students’] own minds, between religion and their experience with their gender identity. We can be part of that conversation with them, and help them to understand or help them to at least figure out their path forward with it. We’d welcome our transgender students to be participants in what we’re doing.'”

Another student, Jesper Machi, pointed to issues with housing as a threat to the safety of trans students. Machi feels the University needs to do better, saying, “We don’t have gender-neutral housing, like anywhere.”

Students are pushing for the University of Portland to take concrete action by adding “gender identity” to the school’s non-discrimination policy, pointing to other Catholic institutions which have already done so including Gonzaga University, Loyola University Maryland and Santa Clara University.

—Liam Myers (he/him), New Ways Ministry, November 4, 2023