USCCB Chairmen
Respond to Administration’s New Guidance Letter on Title IX Application

WASHINGTON—Two Committee chairmen of the U.S. Conference of
Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued the following statement in response to guidance
issued May 13 by the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of
Education entitled “Dear Colleague Letter on Transgender Students”:

The Catholic Church consistently affirms
the inherent dignity of each and every human person and advocates for the
wellbeing of all people, particularly the most vulnerable. Especially at a
young age and in schools, it is important that our children understand the
depth of God’s love for them and their intrinsic worth and beauty. Children
should always be and feel safe and secure and know they are loved.

The guidance issued May 13 by the
U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Education that treats “a
student’s gender identity as the student’s sex” is deeply disturbing. The
guidance fails to address a number of important concerns and contradicts a
basic understanding of human formation so well expressed by Pope Francis: that
“the young need to be helped to accept their own body as it was created” (Amoris
Laetitia [AL], no. 285).

Children, youth, and parents in
these difficult situations deserve compassion, sensitivity, and respect. All of
these can be expressed without infringing on legitimate concerns about privacy
and security on the part of the other young students and parents. The federal
regulatory guidance issued on May 13 does not even attempt to achieve this
balance. It
unfortunately does not respect the ongoing political discussion at the state
and local levels and in Congress, or the broader cultural discussion, about how
best to address these sensitive issues. Rather, the guidance short-circuits
those discussions entirely.

As Pope Francis has recently
indicated, “‘biological sex and the socio-cultural role of sex (gender) can be
distinguished but not separated'”
(AL, no. 56, emphasis added). We pray that the government make room for more
just and compassionate approaches and policies in this sensitive area, in order
to serve the good of all students and parents, as well as the common good. We
will be studying the guidance further to understand the full extent of its
implications.

The statement was issued by Bishop Richard Malone of Buffalo,
chairman of the USCCB Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth; and Archbishop
George Lucas, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Catholic Education.

—

Keywords: USCCB, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bishop
Richard J. Malone, Archbishop George Lucas, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S.
Department of Education, transgender, gender identity, Pope Francis, Congress,
religious liberty, human life and dignity, Amoris Laetitia

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Source:: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops