LGBT students in Arkansas Catholic schools face expulsion

by Rob Howard
Associate Editor

As the progress of LGBT rights rolls across the country, and marriage equality is the law of the land, we are used to push back from religious conservatives. We often hear from the Catholic Church on matters of sexuality.

But in some cases, we are completely shocked by positions expressed by individual bishops in statements or school policy manuals. And that is the case of an addendum to the Diocese of Little Rock’s School Policy Manual.

The recent change says that, “If a student’s expression of gender, sexual identity, or sexuality should cause confusion or disruption at the school, or if it should mislead others, cause scandal, or have the potential for causing scandal,” the student may be dismissed.

LGBT activists in Little Rock and elsewhere are shocked by this new policy. TheNewCivilRightsMovement.com wrote, “Catholic schools in Arkansas are attempting to erase the identities of LGBT students by threatening them with expulsion should they dare to express their true selves.

“The Catholic Dioceses of Little Rock, which covers 27 elementary and secondary Catholic schools in the state with a total enrollment of more than 6,700 students, recently distributed a horrific anti-LGBT addendum to its "Manual of Polices and Regulations."

“The Little Rock diocese is led by Bishop Anthony Taylor, who once compared homosexuality to incest in a brief opposing same-sex marriage. Taylor later called Obergefell v. Hodges one of the two worst Supreme Court decisions in modern history, along with Roe v. Wade, claiming same-sex marriage wouldn't do anything to improve the lives of gay couples.”

The policy says, “…when a person experiences same-sex attraction or some form of gender dysphoria, such struggles do not change the biological fact of how God created that person, and it would be untruthful for the Catholic Church or our Catholic schools to pretend otherwise.”

It then lays down the rules: “Students may not advocate, celebrate, or express same-sex attraction in such a way as to cause confusion or distraction in the context of Catholic school classes, activities, or events.”

Students are expected to conform “in a manner consistent with their biological sex.”

The policy appears to be particularly concerned with transgender students, and students who are gender non-conforming, saying, “Schools shall consider the gender of all students as being consistent with their biological sex, including, but not limited to, the following: participation in school athletics; school-sponsored dances; dress and uniform policies; the use of changing facilities, showers, locker rooms, and bathrooms … ; titles, names, and pronouns; and official school documents.

It appears that the Diocese wants to erase LGBT students, as TheNewCivilRightsMovement suggested in its post.

Curiously, the policy manual also forbids anti-LGBT bullying, saying, “All persons have inherent human dignity and are thus deserving of innate respect as a person. Bullying, harassment, or threats or acts of violence against any student based on that student’s perceived sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity, will not be tolerated.”

Ironically, students can’t bully other students based on sexual orientation or gender identity, but the Catholic Schools in Little Rock can expel students based on the church’s doctrine.

It calls into question the “All persons have inherent human dignity…” part of the bullying paragraph.

So the choice for an LGBT student in an Arkansas Catholic school is to either stay in the closet, or gather up your books and leave.

The experiences of LGBT Catholics can vary from parish to parish, and from diocese to diocese. It appears that in Arkansas' Catholic Schools, Catholic students who are LGBT can expect that treatment to be harsh.

The Gayly – September 14, 2016 @ 4:20 p.m.