Gays? In My Catholic School? It’s More Likely Than You Think

LGBT students are commonplace within a school community, no matter its status. Within Catholic schools, they are prime to experience a serious conflict of interest, not only from their school but the culture surrounding them. However, administrative culture and student culture tend to contrast each other starkly. While the popular stereotype of isolationism and bullying within a school community holds to fact, many LGBT Catholic school students are able to find community within their peers, regardless of identity. Through the combination of the increasingly communal technological society entrenching Generation Z and an ingrained Catholic teaching of mercy and respect and that has allowed many gay, bi, and trans students to feel more comfortable expressing who they are in a private Catholic institution.

Catholic students today share the collective views of Generation Z, a pragmatic generation who look to improve the world from what ruins previous generations have placed it in but are highly aware of the conflict they will face in the future; considered “the first true digital natives” (qtd. in Burton), Generation Z has grown up in the age of smartphones, Google, and self-education. While simply seen as “screen addicts” by older generations, the driving need for consistent social networking and a constant flow of information have made Generation Z internet-savvy and highly involved in the world around them. Generation Z’s love of the Internet and independent learning has also been major role in normalizing LGBT individuals, identities, and self-actualization. Many trans and non-binary youth come to the realization of their identity much earlier than previous generations due to the normalization of trans individuals; celebrities such as Laverne Cox, Ruby Rose, and Miley Cyrus--though there are many more--have made the trans and non-binary identities mainstream, normalizing the identity through their fame and influence (Holloway). Besides the visibility it provides, the Internet’s countless resources and knowledge now rest at the curious and knowledge-seeking. Once considered too vast to interpret, Generation Z has learned to find sources and determine their worth and credibility efficiently (Williams). By being able to have access to the resources they need, LGBT youth are able to learn and inform themselves and others.

While the warmth granted within the community of a Catholic school is given to those who are open, many students who are still in the closet among their peers turn to the Internet not only as a resource, but as a sanctuary. While two-thirds of LGBT youth are out to their classmates, a third remain in the closet (“Growing”).With the anonymity granted by the Internet, many teens are able to flee to the Internet to seek community with other LGBT youth internationally. Many adults scoff at the idea of Internet friendships, however it is a much more common occurrence than many youth let on. According to GLSEN’s Out Online study, more than half of the LGBT participants had used the Internet to connect with other LGBT people (Palmer xi). Networking and Internet outreach allows LGBT youth to communicate with social spheres outside of their normal reach. The ability to reach out has kept many from feeling isolated and alone, even if they have friends in their physical realm of communication. In a survey that asked current and past Catholic school students, many of the responses noted that that sites like Tumblr allowed them to fully express themselves, one even going so far as describing themself as a “next level gay on the internet” (qtd. in Da Jose). Community-based platforms, like Tumblr and Twitter, allow many closeted and “out” youth to interact with, learn about, and flourish within their identity. Many use the Internet as a means to celebrate their identity and indulge in their wishes in a way that many feel cannot be fully expressed offline.

The traditional moral teaching taught in Catholic schools has been a deterrent for many students; its steadfastness in tradition and dubious wording in official teachings turn many away from the subscribed moral code. The LGBT community and the Catholic Church have always been at odds with each other since the inception of the Catholic Church. The anti-LGBT teaching is originally based in the book of Leviticus, the one book in the Bible many LGBT and norm-defying Christians have learned to despise. The heavily cited “You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination” is the basis of the teaching “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered” (CCC 2357). While the Catholic teaching is set within the Bible, the connotation of Lev. 18:22 does not sit well with many LGBT Christians, as it is often used in tandem with bigoted, homophobic attacks.Same-sex marriages also finds no home in the Catholic teaching; the Church teaches that marriage is the “union of man and woman” (CCC 2335) and should remain so, as it is reiterated in the new testament: “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined with his wife, and the two shall become one flesh” (Eph. 5:31). However, ever since Vatican II, a Catholic ecumenical council set on redefining and clarifying teachings in the Church, Catholics have been working to bridge the gap between the heterosexual and homosexually-inclined communities. The Church works to invite and maintain a relationship with its LGB members, especially its youth. Many Catholic youth websites, such as Life Teen, offer resources and support to gay and bisexual teens; this is a very vital step for the Catholic church as “seventy percent of millennials [...] say religious groups alienate youth by being judgmental on gay/lesbian issues” (Gadoua). By working reintegrate this minority, the Church is finding its way to make an appeal to all those who believed they had no place in the Church.

While the effort is being made to extend a sign of friendship to gay and bisexual Catholics and Christians, those within the transgender and non-binary community are pushed further away with no attempts to make amends or reach a grudging but accepting teaching. Much of this debate stems from the growing acceptance and normalization of trans and nonbinary individuals versus the Church’s traditional binary view of gender and sexuality. Generations of Catholics have been taught that God created both male and female, making clear that there is no middle ground or wiggle room to be found. With the growing “gender identity movement” nationwide, the Catholic faith sees it as dangerous, even prideful move of human nature. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says “everyone, man and woman, should acknowledge and accept his sexual identity” (CCC 2333), but with the growing knowledge provided by open dialogue between cisgender-- those who identify with the gender they are assigned at birth-- and transgender individuals, many from both categories would care to disagree. In a student-run survey, those who were reached were of all gender identities, both trans and cis. Though some of those were questioned had lukewarm responses in regards to their theology courses, evidence of the Church’s lack of response to transgender issues was offered by participants. Both individuals recalled how when gender and sexuality was brought up in class discussion, teachers would circumlocate the topic, offer up what the Church teaches about sexuality instead, or even brush it aside completely (Da Jose). While it offers no sense of respite, support, or mercy to gender-questioning members, the Catholic hierarchy has been more than generous with its share of criticism and fodder that can potentially push away transgender individuals. While the Church does not advocate gender “conversion” therapy-- which has been shown to not dispel or cure gender dysphoria-- any gender reassignment procedure “is forbidden by the Roman Catholic Church, because of their system of morality, ironically called the "Culture of Life," even though it would probably lead to a significant increase in the rate of suicides if the Church's ban is followed” (“Status”). The reasoning behind it follows Catholic medical ethics; as the Church opposes the “mutilation” of the body-- unless for a life saving procedure-- and sterilization (Galassi), this moral teaching cuts access to many if not all procedures that allow trans people to fully express their identity and be comfortable in their bodies. The traditional teaching of the Catholic Church and overhanging Christian belief makes it almost impossible for a transgender individual to be feel comfortable with themselves.

While the Catholic teaching over sexuality and gender may be firm and even at times seem toxic, Catholic school students are heavily influenced not only by their generation's growing liberal culture, but by the integral Catholic Church teaching of human dignity and respect of human life. The focus on human dignity and the “hate-the-sin-not-the-sinner” ideology have allowed many students to come forward and accept who they are in what is usually considered a conservative environment. Despite the focus on homosexuality and transgenderism as a “sin” in the Church, the Catholic Church reminds each of its members that they are all sinners. In the book of Ephesians, St. Paul writes “Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest” (Eph. 2:3). While the deep-seated Golden Rule may guide many students, it would be short-sighted to forget about teenage rebellion. Teenagers naturally like to go against the flow-- their desire for community allows them to push in a group effort. A rebellious streak with good intention has allowed many school communities and friend groups to form an inclusive community All of the participants contacted in the student-run survey were all, to a degree, out to someone in their school community, be it only a few close friends or even their entire class. One responder even goes as far to describe that his friends “really keep [him] going” (qtd. in Da Jose). Not only did they share these sentiments, almost all of them, except for five of them, grew up in Catholic schooling, experiencing the key years of interaction and morality building of middle school. Catholic faith and morals, Internet culture, and the inclusive nature of teenage rebellion have made Catholic schools a home for those who seek it.

Catholic schools, while based in a faith more than two millennia old, is being shaped into a safe space for LGBT students by the overwhelming force of modern times. The Internet’s broad, knowledgeable resources also provide a haven for those not ready to be embraced by their community. While their deep seated fears of rejection and persecution are not unfounded, the reality of the matter is that not everyone adheres to the standard. No one fully follows the rules, and for those who are ready to come out, they will find that they will find a community who makes the same missteps along with them.

Bibliography

Brustman, Mark. "The Historic Origins of Church Condemnation of Homosexuality." Born Eunuchs. Well.com, 1999. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.

"Catechism of the Catholic Church." Vatican: The Holy See. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2016.

Cooper, Patrick G. "Generation Z." Salem Press Encyclopedia (2015): Research Starters. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.

Crappell, Courtney. "The Abcs Of Gen X, Y(P), Z." American Music Teacher 65.3 (2015): 40-43. Academic Search Index. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.

Da Jose, Beck. "LGBT Interview Questions." Survey. 23 February 2016.

Gadoua, Renee K. "A need not met." U.S. Catholic 2016: 19. Academic OneFile. Web. 14 Mar. 2016.

Galassi, Regina. “Unit 5: Respect Life.” Incarnate Word Academy, Houston. 23 March 2016. Powerpoint Presentation.

"Growing Up LGBT in America." Human Rights Campaign. The Human Rights Campaign, n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.

Holloway, Kali. "Miley Cyrus Is Not Alone: 9 Other Stars Making Gender Fluidity Mainstream." AlterNet. The Independent Media Institute, 30 June 2015. Web. 21 Mar. 2016.

The New American Standard Bible. BibleGateway.com. The Lockman Foundation, n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.

Palmer, Neal A., Ph.D, Joseph G. Kosicw, Ph.D., and Emily A. Greytak. Out Online The Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth on the Internet. New York: Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, 2013. PDF.

Saunders, William. "The Four Marks of the Church." Catholic Education Resource Center. Catholic Education Resource Center, 2003. Web. 22 Mar. 2016.

Tsjeng, Zing. "Teens These Days Are Queer AF, New Study Say." Broadly. Vice Media LLC, 10 Mar. 2016. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.