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Diocese Statement

A response to May 13, 2016, media inquiry about our reaction to the Federal Regulation: Allow Transgender Access to Restrooms in Public Schools
 

Today’s published regulation is directed at Public Schools. It is a regulation [technically a ‘directive’ from White House] rather than a law.

At first glance, it will not apply to Catholic sponsored primary and secondary schools. It is reasonable to assume that some agency will push the directive into interschool sports matches and interscholastic academic competitions.

Our first thought is that our Catholic schools are caring for other people’s children. Our Church sponsored institutions (health care, universities, Catholic Charities) are rightfully upset when government agencies do not account for our concerns prior to issuing regulations. By the same token, Church leadership understands how upset our school parents might be if we changed important practices before accounting for their concerns.

We should be cautious about the unintended effects that can arise when certain aspects of student sexuality or gender traits are spotlighted at ages where this might not be helpful to them. Given that both science and law are still hunting for adequate definitions of gender identity, it appears that the government is asking educators and parents to go along with a “best guess” strategy.

Some of us come from a generation where we learned that our children should not become “footballs” in the adult conversation that is divorce. In that same vein, while some adults choose to look at the new regulation as being in the best interest of children, others can only see the schoolyard as a surrogate platform for a disagreement between adults.