Lafayette Catholic schools set pronouns, clothing, bathroom use based on 'God-given' sex
Catholic schools in the Diocese of Lafayette are including a "Sexual Identity Policy" in its student handbooks for the upcoming school year that would require students and staff to wear clothing and use pronouns related to their sex assigned at birth, though the diocese says the policy isn't new.
The policy prohibits actions that "cause disruption or confusion regarding Roman Catholic teachings on human sexuality." The rule says that cooperation with the policy is required for continued enrollment and employment at the schools.
Blue Rolfes, the director of communications for the diocese, said that the policy is not new, but is a "written clarification of a policy that's been in effect for quite some time."
"The document simply spells out Roman Catholic teachings on human sexuality and what students, parents, and school staff can expect when they enroll or are hired to work in all Diocese of Lafayette Catholic schools," Rolfes said.
Multiple schools in the Acadiana area, including Teurlings Catholic High School, St. Thomas More Catholic High School, and Cathedral-Carmel School, have published the policy, using nearly identical language, in their parent/student handbooks for the 2022-23 school year. The policy was not included in last year's handbooks.
"Behavior and expressions of a person’s sexual identity within the school environment that are inconsistent with these principles and/or which cause disruption or confusion regarding Roman Catholic teachings on human sexuality are prohibited," a portion of the policy says.
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Lafayette schools are not the first to see policies like this enacted or added to handbooks. The Diocese of Green Bay in Wisconsin announced a similar policy earlier this month.
The overall topic of gender identity has been contentious in Louisiana and the U.S. over the last several years. The Louisiana State Legislature passed a bill in both the 2021 and 2022 sessions to prohibit transgender students from competing in athletic competitions based on their gender identity. Gov. John Bel Edwards vetoed the bill in 2021, but he ultimately allowed the bill to become law in 2022.
The two-paragraph policy reads that the schools are committed to providing students with an environment to "develop and prosper academically, physically and spiritually, consistent with Roman Catholic teachings and principles affirming that the body reveals each person as male or female and that the harmonious integration of a person’s sexual identity with his or her sex is an expression of the inner unity and reality of the human person made body and soul by God and in the image and likeness of God."
The policy also says the schools will use a person's "God-given sexual identity and biological sex at birth" to determine the name and pronoun usage, uniform, access to facilities and overnight accommodations, and eligibility for in-school and extracurricular activities.
The handbooks also reference a document published by the Congregation for Catholic Education titled "Male and Female He created Them: Toward a Path of Dialogue on the Question of Gender Theory in Education."
The document, written by Cardinal Giuseppe Versaldi in 2019, is meant as a guide for how those involved in Catholic education should discuss topics associated with gender identity.
The Diocese of Lafayette covers what is typically considered to be the Acadiana region, including Lafayette, St. Landry, Acadia, St. Martin, Vermilion, Evangeline, Iberia, and St. Mary Parishes. The diocese includes more than 30 Catholic schools.
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This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Lafayette Diocese adds sexual identity policy to student, staff rules
