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September 15, 2023By Kate Scanlon, OSV News
(OSV News) -- The Diocese of Cleveland recently issued its new policy rules governing its approach to "sexuality and gender identity" in its parishes and schools.
A letter to the diocese from Bishop Edward C. Malesic dated Aug. 30 said that in the midst of "a polarizing and tense time in our culture," the diocese was issuing the new policy as part of efforts to "accompany our brothers and sisters in Christ with compassion, mercy, and dignity so that we might lovingly help them navigate the confusion and arrive at the truth."
The policy states that "the Church recognizes that there are and will be persons who experience gender dysphoria and/or gender confusion. Such experiences can be complex and emotional to work through and, for some, incredibly burdensome and painful."
It requires, among other measures, that "only pronouns that accurately reflect a person's God-given biological sex shall be used when addressing that person," and that all persons must present themselves as their biological sex and use corresponding bathrooms or other facilities.
If a minor in a diocesean school or other institution is experiencing gender dysphoria or gender confusion, their parents or guardian must be notified, the policy states, "absent a compelling reason not to," such as the potential for abuse at home.
Alana Jochum, executive director of Equality Ohio, an LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, said in a Sept. 12 statement that it is "disheartening -- if not surprising -- that we are seeing such an influential institution as the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland come out so firmly against inclusion and basic civil rights."
"We know that most people of faith support their LGBTQ+ friends and family and that this policy is out of touch with that majority," Jochum said. "Most concerningly, there are LGBTQ+ students in these schools right now that have just been told by this policy that they aren't allowed to be themselves. This policy threatens to cause serious harm to these LGBTQ+ students."
In a statement to local media outlet cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer newspaper in stories about concerns over the policy from the LGBTQ+ community, the diocese said it "has taken existing guidance and practice in matters of sex, sexuality and gender identity and developed them into a formal policy, rooted in scripture and Church teaching, to help ensure that these matters are addressed in a consistent, pastorally sound and authentically Catholic manner across our diocesan and parish institutions and schools."
Several other Catholic dioceses also have begun grappling with pastoral approaches to gender dysphoria, particularly in Catholic schools. The Diocese of Des Moines, Iowa, issued in January guidance and policies on ministering to people experiencing gender dysphoria. It called for coherence with the church's teaching on the inseparability of gender from biological sex while emphasizing pastoral compassion for children or adults experiencing conflict between their biological sex and gender.
A 2022 study by the UCLA School of Law Williams Institute found that there are approximately 1.6 million people in the U.S. ages 13 and older who identify as transgender, with an estimated 300,000 of that population who are minors.
