The Springfield Catholic Church Diocese has clarified its stance on how the church and its schools will deal with gender identity. The Springfield Diocese covers both Routt/Our Saviours Schools in Jacksonville and Sacred Heart Griffin schools in Springfield.
The diocese enacted a gender policy in January that will govern policies for the churches and schools moving forward. The policy says that the Diocese will honor a person’s biological sex assigned at birth, rather than one’s gender orientation. This includes all Catholic parishes, schools, institutions and departments. To honor the policy, people will be addressed in formal settings by gender pronouns that match their sex at birth, including on all documentation. Additionally, people must use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their biological sex on all Diocesan and Parish property.
The policy compared gender dysmorphia to anorexia, saying people should not encourage children to change their sex to match their gender identity. The policy also makes the rare exceptions for those born intersex or with hermaphroditism saying that they recognize that appropriate medical care may be necessary in those cases as far as gender assignment is concerned. The policy includes the Diocese’s support for those with gender dysphoria to receive counseling by medical professionals who adhere to Christian teaching.
The policy says that children who do not identify with their gender assigned at birth will not be denied from Catholic schools as long as the student and their parents abide by the diocese’s gender policy. You can view the policy at this link.