Resources on LGBTQ Non-Discrimination
Learn about LGBTQ Church Teachings
Catholic teaching on gender and sexuality is much broader than most people know. Since 1975, the Vatican, individual bishops, and regional and national bishops’ conferences have developed and expanded the church’s teaching on LGBTQ issues. Use the links below to find some representative quotations from official church documents on these different areas.
Church Teachings on Conscience
Church Statements on Gender Identity
Church Teachings on Pastoral Care and Outreach
Church Teachings on Prejudice, Discrimination, and Civil Rights
End Employment Discrimination in the Church
Since 2007, more than 125 cases have been made public of church workers losing their jobs in LGBTQ-related employment disputes. There have been few legal victories, and even fewer bishops have spoken against these discriminatory actions. But when a firing happens, Catholics have always stood with the church worker who has been discriminated against. Learn more about how you can show support for and prevent future injustices against LGBTQ church workers using the links below.
What You Can Do About Employment Discrimination in the Church
Stop Anti-LGBTQ Criminalization
More than 70 countries criminalize LGBTQ people, including a dozen countries with the death penalty. Catholic teaching is clear that upholding human dignity requires an end to discrimination and stigmatization. Catholics worldwide must join efforts to end these harsh criminalization laws and the attitudes which foster them. To learn more, use the links below.
Catholic Responses to Anti-LGBTQ Criminalization: A Chronology
Examples of Catholics Opposing Criminalization Laws
Read the Latest Catholic LGBTQ News
Bondings 2.0 is New Ways Ministry’s daily blog on Catholic LGBTQ news, opinion, and spirituality.
Published since 2011, the blog covers issues including employment discrimination in the church, Catholics’ work for LGBTQ civil and human rights, pastoral care and parish life developments, and the current Synod on Synodality. It also serves as an archive helping theologians, journalists, pastoral leaders, researchers, and Catholics in the pews.
To view the blog’s latest updates, click here.
You can subscribe to receive daily updates directly to your inbox by clicking here.
Find an LGBTQ-Friendly Parish
Are you looking for a parish or faith community that is LGBTQ-friendly? New Ways Ministry maintains a listing of more than 200 communities which have offered some form of public welcome. The listing is available by clicking here.
Interested in your parish becoming more LGBTQ-inclusive? Check out our “Next Steps” online series about ministry development, which is designed for individuals and communities to discern what is possible for them to create more welcoming pastoral environments. The series is available by clicking here.
Connect with Organizations
DignityUSA: A national membership organization of LGBTQ Catholics and allies.
Fortunate Families: A national Catholic ministry comprised of family members, friends, and allies of LGBTQ persons.
GLSEN: A national network of educators and students that strives to make schools a safe and affirming environment for LGBTQ students.
Global Network of Rainbow Catholics: A coalition that brings together organizations working on behalf of LGBTQI Catholics and their families in the Roman Catholic Church and society.
Immigration Equality: A national organization that provides LGBTQ immigrants with legal services and does advocacy on their behalf.
National Black Justice Coalition: A civil rights organization dedicated to empowering Black LGBTQ and same-gender loving people through advocacy, research, and education.
National Center for Lesbian Rights: A national legal organization committed to advancing the civil and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families through litigation, legislation, policy, and public education.
New Ways Ministry: A national ministry that seeks to build bridges of justice, education, advocacy, and dialogue between LGBTQ Catholics and the wider church community.
Our Path: An organization dedicated to supporting current or former straight partners of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people and partners of trans people.
Outreach: An online resource for LGBTQ Catholics and allies that hosts an annual conference.
PFLAG: A national membership organization focused on supporting family members and allies of LGBTQ people.
Transgender Law Center: A trans-led organization that works to expanded legal rights and provide community support for transgender and gender non-conforming people.
Trevor Project: A national organization that provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ youth and young adults.
Sources Cited in the Book
Center for American Progress, “The State of the LGBTQ Community in 2020,” October 6, 2020.
Freedom for All Americans, Legislative Tracker.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health,” 2020.
National Center for Transgender Equality, “LGBTQ People Behind Bars.”
Movement Advancement Project, “Map: Conversion ‘Therapy’ Laws.”
The Trevor Project, “Facts About LGBTQ Youth Suicide,” December 15, 2021.
Human Rights Campaign, “Fatal Violence Against the Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Community in 2021”.
Erasing 76 Crimes: a website on criminalization laws worldwide.
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, “Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons,” 1986.
Congregation for Catholic Education, “‘Male and Female He Created Them’: Towards a Path of Dialogue on the Question of Gender Theory in Education,” 2019.
Washington State Catholic Conference, “Prejudice Against Homosexuals and the Ministry of the Church,” 1983.
New Ways Ministry, “Employees of Catholic Institutions Who Have Been Fired, Forced to Resign, Had Offers Rescinded, or Had Their Jobs Threatened Because of LGBT Issues,” 2022.
New Ways Ministry, “Pope Francis on LGBTQ Issues: A Chronology”.
America, “Pope Francis declares support for same-sex civil unions for the first time as pope,” October 21, 2020.
America, “A Big Heart Open to God: An interview with Pope Francis,” September 30, 2013.