This Fall, Deepen Your Catholic LGBTQ+ Knowledge with New Virtual Programs
This fall, New Ways Ministry invites you to a series of virtual programs centered on deepening knowledge about how to be a Catholic LGBTQ+ advocate. Read More
Hospital Acquisition by Catholic Entity Protested Over LGBTQ Healthcare Concerns
A petition to block a Catholic health system from acquiring the local hospital is gaining momentum in rural Connecticut. The coalition of residents, called Save Day Kimball Hospital, is concerned about restrictions the Catholic healthcare provider could place on gender-affirming care and reproductive healthcare, among other services. Read More
Diocese of Sioux Falls’ New Transgender Policy Admits It Is “Intentionally Exclusionary”
A South Dakota diocese has issued a new policy on LGBTQ+ issues that admits it is "intentionally exclusionary," in particular to transgender and non-binary people. Read More
Questions Remain After U.S. Bishops Allows Single Lesbian to Serve as Foster Parent
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) conceded a legal case in early July by allowing a single lesbian to serve as a foster parent after several months of litigation. While LGBTQ+ advocates and the foster parent are both excited with the result, questions remain as to whether the concession signals a wider inclusion of LGBTQ+ foster and adoptive parents at Catholic agencies or is a singular exception made under legal pressure. Read More
Anti-Transgender Laws “Shame and Shun” Stigmatized Youth, Writes Commonweal Editor
New proposed laws that would jeopardize the autonomy of transgender youth serve “ to shame and shun an already stigmatized and often defenseless group of people,” wrote the managing editor of a leading Catholic publication. Read More
Franciscan Healthcare System to Deny Fertility Treatments to Most LGBTQ+ Employees
A hospital system run by the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis in Illinois will begin covering fertility treatments in their employees’ health plans only to people in heterosexual marriages. Read More
U.S. Bishops Oppose Proposed Federal Healthcare Protections for LGBTQ+ Patients
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced changes to regulations based on the Affordable Care Act that are being criticized by the U.S. bishops’ conference over religious liberty concerns. Read More
Archbishop Objects to Proposed Conversion Therapy Ban in Tasmania
A Tasmanian archbishop has pushed back against a report that calls for a ban on conversion therapy in the Australian island state, which is causing a disagreement between the archdiocese and human rights experts. Read More
Diocese of Green Bay’s New Policy Compares Being Transgender to Sexual Abuse
Another U.S. diocese has issued new restrictive policies regarding LGBTQ students and staff in Catholic schools, which, at one point, compare being openly transgender with sexual abuse. Read More
USCCB Drops Opposition to Catholic Agencies Serving Single LGBTQ Foster Parents
In an unprecedented move, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has granted an exception for an unmarried lesbian applicant to serve as a foster parent through a program administered by a Catholic organization. Read More