A Catholic school system in Massachusetts enacted a new policy that requires students to “conduct themselves” in a manner that corresponds with their biological sex, according to a statement from the diocese.
The Diocese of Worcester is requiring educators in its 21 Catholic schools to use students’ names and pronouns that are in accordance with their biological sex rather than their gender identity, according to an Aug. 15 statement. The policy also requires students to use bathrooms and locker rooms and play on sports teams on the basis of biological sex. (RELATED: Catholic Org Launches Initiative Encouraging Parents To Revolt Against Sexually Explicit, Transgender Books)
“We do not serve anyone’s greater good by falsifying the truth, for it is only the truth that frees us for the full life that God offers to each of us,” the Diocesan policy for schools regarding sexuality and sexual identity reads.
Some schools within the Catholic education system already had a similar policy in place, but “individual situations” called for “a need for a single policy,” David Perda, the superintendent of Worcester Catholic schools, said in the statement. The policy will have “rare exceptions” to the bathroom and locker room guidance that will be determined by the principal of the school, the diocese statement reads.
Though the diocese noted that bullying or harassment based on sexual orientation or gender identity is not permitted, students are not allowed to “advocate, celebrate or express same-sex attraction in such a way as to cause confusion or distraction in the context of Catholic school classes, activities or events,” under the policy.
The Vatican released a document in June that aimed to help include communities, such as LGBTQ people, who feel unaccepted by and “marginalized” within the Catholic church. In January, the Pope said “homosexuality is not a crime,” but then clarified that “yes, but it’s a sin.”
NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 24: L.G.B.T. activists and their supporters rally in support of transgender people on the steps of New York City Hall, October 24, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
School boards throughout the country are divided on how to address gender identity within the classroom; on Wednesday, an Idaho school board passed a policy that requires students to be treated in accordance with their biological sex. In Maryland, members of the Muslim, Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox Christian faith said in August that a school district’s policy that prohibits parents from opting their child of LGBTQ lessons violates their faith.
“Unfortunately, it’s not surprising that the bishop has worked to enact these policies,” Joshua Croke, president of the Worcester nonprofit Love Your Labels, an LGBTQ activist group, told The New York Times. “He has a long history of anti-L.G.B.T.Q. practices and positions.”
The Diocese of Worcester and Worcester Catholic Schools did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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