EDMONTON — A leaked copy of the Catholic Archdiocese’s approach to gender identity issues in schools has reignited debate in Edmonton, and sparked a priest to publicly weigh in.
The document, developed by the Archdiocese and the Council of Catholic School Superintendents of Alberta, says Catholic schools should support inclusivity but reminds that “gender transitioning” is contrary to church doctrine.
Among other directions, it encourages schools to designate single-stall, gender-neutral washrooms for students with “gender identity and expression” concerns.
When one critic decried the document as a “transphobic policy unelected bishops want to force on all publicly funded Catholic Schools,” a local priest fired back, writing, “The Catholic Church invented schools and universities. Catholic schools were in Alberta first. We’ll decide our policies. #ECSD #yeg #Catholic”
Hysell is a member of the Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton and a church leader at St. Mark’s Catholic Community of the Deaf.
The Catholic School District has been wrestling with its approach to gender identity and inclusion for months, since controversy first arose over a transgender elementary school student who wanted to use the girls’ washroom. She was told by a teacher that she had to use the school’s gender-neutral bathroom.
At a board meeting in September, debate over one proposed policy dissolved into yelling and heated argument. After several hours of back and forth, the topic was eventually put off until the Oct. 13 meeting.
READ MORE: Vote on transgender policy put on hold after heated debate by Edmonton Catholic School trustees
In an email sent Oct. 1, trustee Patricia Grell said that policy was the result of “ad hoc” public consultation, “including chairs of school councils, teachers, a psychiatrist specializing in gender dysphoria,… the mother of transgender child and a transgender Catholic advocate.”
“The only person we were unable to consult with was Archbishop (Richard) Smith who turned down our invitations.
“He instead sent us a letter asking us to stop working on a policy and use the policy he was devising with the Council of Catholic Superintendents of Alberta.”
“I take great exception to the fact that the Archbishop chose to work with unelected officials to develop a policy which we are being instructed to follow,” wrote Grell. “Is he aware that we are the taxpayer-funded, elected officials who govern the school districts? We need him to work with us – not above and beyond us – to provide a safe and caring school community for all our students, including our transgender students.”
Archbishop Richard Smith is in Italy at the moment. Lorraine Turchansky, a spokesperson for the Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton said his role includes advising school boards on matters of religious teachings.
“It is not the role of the Bishops to draft policy. That is the role of the trustees and the Catholic board trustees are doing that,” Turchansky said.
A spokesperson for the Edmonton Catholic School Board said the document is not a policy.
“This document was not an Archbishop’s policy,” said board chair Debbie Engel. “The Archbishop, to be clear, does not have a policy. The Catholic schools superintendents of Alberta worked on guidelines to be of assistance to boards in their deliberations, it is as simple as that.”
She said it was an internal document leaked by trustee Grell.
“There’s so many things that spin out of control when we don’t speak with one unified voice from board policy.”
Engel said an agreement had been made with the education minister about the policy that would be brought forward on Oct. 13.
Part of the document reads, “The Catholic Church teaches that body and soul are so united that one’s gender identity is rooted in one’s biological identity as male and female… Therefore, to attempt ‘gender transitioning’ is contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church.”
More to come…
Comments