The UK’s Catholic Schools Leave Trans Students in Limbo

When it comes to situations involving transgender students, Catholic schools in the UK have negotiated between transgender-negative church doctrine and national anti-discrimination laws. A prominent Catholic commentator says this tension often leaves the fate of trans students unclear.

In an article for The Tablet, Catherine Pepinster, an author on religious topics and former editor of The Tablet observes:

“Catholic schools have to walk a tightrope when it comes to issues around transgender [people], negotiating between what the Church teaches and what the law requires. The law focuses on rights, discrimination and equality; for the Church, the main issue is Catholic doctrine.”

In 2024, the bishops’conference of  England and Wales published “Intricately Woven by the Lord,” a pastoral reflection on gender in which they reminded Catholic schools and parishes to uphold traditional views of sexuality and gender and to reject “gender identity theory.” This document drew upon previous teaching  such as Pope Francis’s Amoris Laetitia to reinforce the idea that a person’s identity as male or female is innate and immutable, and based on biological sex characteristics. Consequently, the bishops  reject all aspects of gender transition, particularly for children:

“We cannot encourage or give support to reconstructive or drug-based medical intervention that harms the body. Nor can we legitimise or uphold a way of life that is not respectful of the truth and vocation of each man and woman, called to live according to the divine plan … medical intervention for children should not be supported.”

Such attitudes are juxtaposed with a stated desire to nonetheless provide pastoral accompaniment to children questioning their gender identity, whom the document notes are “particularly vulnerable and deserve protection, loving care and appropriate medical support,” although the nature of this support is not always clear. For example, a spokesperson from the Catholic Education Services (CES) stated:

“Catholic schools have been responding to pupils over this issue for many years, on a case-by-case basis, with sensitivity and understanding that each individual’s needs vary, and, as the pastoral reflection by the bishops’ conference on this issue reflects, Catholic education focuses on the God-given dignity of each individual, regardless of what gender they are.”

However, the spokesperson declined to comment when asked how they might advise a single-sex school to respond when a student expressed a desire to transition. 

Thus, there is not much guidance as to how Catholic schools ought to uphold Catholic doctrine regarding gender identity in a way that fulfills the need for genuine pastoral accompaniment, and this issue is further complicated by the need to adhere to laws prohibiting discrimination that are not always universally defined. While the opinion of the bishops regarding gender is clear, schools and parishes still must consider what qualifies as discrimination under the law as well as what the call for true pastoral accompaniment demands. No clear universal guidelines for how trans students ought to be treated in Catholic schools exist, nor are there any universal protections in place. 

The policy of St John Fisher Catholic Comprehensive School in Rochester, UK, for example, acknowledges that “Gender is a spectrum which is not limited to male or female – but can span anywhere between these two binary points.” The school maintains that an individual who is transitioning or seeking to transition is protected from any harassment or discrimination. 

But, while at this school, a trans student may be protected, at a neighboring Catholic school, a trans student might be outed or asked to not return.

While it is hopeful that there is an example of a Catholic school with a trans-inclusive policy, it is also indicative of the fact that there are The result for transgender students and adults is uncertainty, frustration, and fear. 

George White, a trans man who teaches at St Thomas Aquinas Multi Academy Trust in Leicester, explains that while he has experienced mostly support and acceptance from colleagues, the overarching response from the Church is negative, leading to concern and uncertainty. He explains:

“It is common when you are working with teachers that they listen and try to understand but what you hear from the Church is that they cannot support any intervention that is medical.”

Dr. Claire Jenkins, a Catholic convert and transgender woman, notes that even with anti-discrimination laws in place, the majority of “…trans children are bullied by their peers, both off- and on-line, teachers, mental health services and the NHS [National Health Service]. Single-sex spaces and activities in schools are problematic for trans children.” In her book, Wrong Bodies, Wrong Schools, she notes that even when individual Catholics are supportive, the church’s unwillingness to question its teaching of gender and sexuality results in the continuation of the difficulties faced by transgender youth. 

Thus, while many Catholic schools are seeking to elude  anti-discrimination laws by clinging to doctrines that erase or ignore the existence and experiences of transgender people, trans students are continuing to face discrimination and bullying at school–not only by peers, but by teachers, administrators, and pastors as well. 

Hopefully more schools and parishes will instead choose to follow the example of St. John Fisher Catholic School, where an expansive understanding of gender allows for a pastoral response rooted in justice and dignity, rather than perpetuating the ambiguity that leaves trans students at risk.

—Phoebe Carstens, New Ways Ministry, March 26, 2026