PORTLAND, Oregon (LifeSiteNews) — As teachers and parents dissent from Catholic teaching on transgender ideology, the Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon, has temporarily suspended its Department of Catholic Schools.
The archdiocese has more than 40 elementary schools and high schools, all of which are overseen by the Department of Catholic Schools. The department supports the schools by “communicating, assessing, and reporting on matters of faith, Catholic identity, policy, and academic achievement between the archdiocese, [the department], and the schools.”
In January, Portland Archbishop Alexander Sample published guidelines titled A Catholic Response to Gender Identity Theory for all diocesan institutions regarding transgender ideology. The guidelines instructed schools to act and speak with students in a way that is in keeping with a person’s biological sex. In reaction to the guidelines, several principals and teachers resigned, and some parents protested the implementation of Catholic teaching.
“The Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon, has temporarily shut down its Department of Catholic Schools as teachers & parents feud with Abp. Alexander Sample about gender ideology & the use of preferred pronouns…Abp. Sample’s recommendations are in line with the Vatican’s.” https://t.co/lJXHqr4fTO
— MrCasey (@MrCasey62) June 27, 2023
According to the archbishop’s guidelines, “Catholic institutions should not endorse gender identity theory nor enable any form of gender transition whether social or medical,” and “names, pronouns, facilities use, attire, and sports participation should depend upon biological sex identity rather than self-perceived gender identity.”
Dress codes, the use and organization of locker rooms and restrooms, formal documentation, and pronouns must all be in keeping with a person’s biological sex, with all content and material for education likewise conformed to Catholic teaching. The guidelines forbade the possession of so-called “transitional” drugs on school campuses as well as signage promoting “gender identity theory.”
Portland’s guidelines follow those set by the Vatican and an instruction from the U.S. bishops earlier this spring.
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Portland is not the first diocese to address transgender ideology in its schools. In November, the Archdiocese of Denver published a similar instruction on transgender issues, advising Catholic schools not to enroll or re-enroll “transgender” students. The guidance states that Catholic schools should not enroll transgender students because “any asserted identity that rejects the reality of biological sex is incompatible with Christian anthropology.” The archdiocese instructed that students must not use pronouns contrary to their biological sex and advised school officials to avoid promoting gender ideology, noting that “the spread of gender ideology presents a danger to the faith of Christians.”
LifeSiteNews reached out to the Archdiocese of Portland for a statement and will update this report should it receive a reply.
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