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Worcester Bishop Robert McManus issues blanket ban on bending school rules for trans students and will force them to wear uniform, use bathrooms and play sports based on biological sex
It will force them to wear the correct uniform, use pronouns assigned at birth, enter the appropriate bathrooms and play sports based on their biological sex.
Worcester Bishop Robert McManus approved the policy in June, with it banning students from expressing, celebrating or advocating for 'same-sex attraction in such a way as to cause confusion or distraction'.
It affects 21 schools in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester, which has more than 5,260 students. It will come in to effect in the coming academic year.
The policy, announced on August 15, has drawn criticism from several state lawmakers but has been praised by the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts.
They will be required to use their names and pronouns assigned at birth and use the bathrooms, showers and changing facilities based on their biological sex which will be reflected on all school documents.
This will also be consistent for sports, school-sponsored dances and uniform policies.
In their letter to McManus, the two religious said the schools would not adopt the bishop’s guidance but would instead continue to follow “established practices.”
“We feel confident that our schools are responding to the issues raised in your memo in a manner that respects the dignity of all persons, aligns to the mission and charism of our sponsoring orders, and protects and affirms our identity as Catholic schools,” the letter said.
“We support our respective boards’ recent determination to uphold their established practices, guided by the principles of our Church and religious orders, instead of incorporating the [new policies] into their handbooks,” the letter said.
originally posted by: The2Billies
It takes great courage for the Bishop to do what he did.
A current Worcester mayoral candidate described the policy as relying on “outdated, hate-filled rhetoric” and called it a step backwards for LGBTQ Catholics. David Palmieri, a longtime Catholic educator and contributing writer at Outreach, criticized the guidelines as distorting the words and ministry of Pope Francis.
“It is misleading and disingenuous to use [the pope’s] words in an effort that is so evidently inconsistent with the tenderness of his ‘field hospital’ ministry,” Palmieri wrote in an email. “What does it say about our church when people are actively hurt by our leaders, who quote canon law but not Jesus Christ?”
Kevin C. Molloy, the associate director of campus ministry at Fairfield University and a graduate of Worcester’s College of the Holy Cross, told Outreach he hopes Bishop Robert J. McManus will rescind the policy. “Simply declaring you are taking a pastoral approach while belittling, dismissing and negating the lived reality and dignity of students is an abdication of the call to understanding and pastoral care,” wrote Molloy in an email. “The policy betrays its own intention by carving out its assumed, though misguided, right to discriminate against queer and trans students.”