Transcript SEXUALITY: What’s it all about?

A Catholic Understanding
of Sexuality
Presented by:
Sr. Jane Meyer, O.P.
St. Agnes Academy
Cheri Broadhead
Totino-Grace High School
•Gospel demands that we affirm the
dignity and respond to the needs of
all God’s people.
Areas of Concern




Public display of affection
Students identifying themselves openly as
lesbians
Potential of other non-lesbian students
being drawn into the lesbian lifestyle
The potential problem of the lesbian issue
having a negative impact on the school
SAA Policies/Catholic Teaching

Respect all people.

It’s okay to disclose
homosexual orientation in an
appropriate manner. Seek
guidance first.
It’s okay to claim symbols
related to homosexual
orientation because the
orientation is not sinful.
 It’s not okay to use symbols
or slogans to promote
immoral behavior or to act
contrary to Church teaching.

“From the first moment that a
student sets foot in a Catholic
school, he or she ought to have
the impression of entering a new
environment, one illuminated by
the light of faith, having its own
unique characteristics.”
Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education
The Vatican Congregation
for Catholic Education
instructs those working in
Catholic education that they
must welcome gay and
lesbian students (1982)
“Educationally, homosexuality cannot
and ought not to be skirted or
ignored. The topic must be faced in
all objectivity by the pupil and the
educator when the case presents
itself.” Vatican Congregation for
Catholic Education, 1983
Catholic High Schools
•Do our Catholic Schools present
the whole message of the Church
regarding the dignity and worth of
gay and lesbian people?
•Do they present any message at
all, or are they silent on the topic?
STATISTICS





80% of gay/lesbian/bisexual youth report
verbal abuse almost daily
44% report threats of attack
17% have been assaulted
97% of the time, teachers do not correct
anti-gay slurs
30% of all successful suicides
MATTHEW SHEPARD
What is it in our society that
perpetuates the attitudes that makes
this violence okay?
Do you believe that the young men
who committed this crime could
have viewed Matthew Shepard as a
fellow human being?
Two women, girlfriends of the
perpetrators, stood and watched.
Have you ever stood by and watched
someone be harassed or insulted or
hurt?
Why didn’t they get involved?
FACULTY/STAFF
IN-SERVICE




Church’s teaching on homosexuality
How homosexuals come to know and
deal with their orientation
Resources available to help homosexual
students
Resources available to help all people
understand the issue
The culture of the
school greatly affects
how gay and lesbian
students integrate
with the school.
Diversity Week
 Video: A Place at the Table
(Southern Poverty Law Center)
 Breakout Sessions…choice of 2
 Multicultural Entertainment
 Prayer and commissioning
Sexuality…
is about who you are.
Sexual Activity…
is about what you
CHOOSE to do.
SEXUAL ORIENTATION



Not chosen…discovered.
Refers to one’s predominant
emotional and sexual attraction
3 kinds:
 Heterosexual…to opposite gender
 Homosexual…to same gender
 Bisexual…to both
SEXUAL ORIENTATION . . .



Not fundamentally or primarily a
tendency toward acts
Psychosexual attraction toward
particular persons
A dimension of one’s personality
Heterosexual
Homosexual
HOMOSEXUAL

A person who sustains a
PREDOMINANT,
PERSISTENT, psychosexual,
physical, and emotional
attraction to the same sex.
STEREOTYPES

Homosexual persons are attracted
to ALL same-sex persons.

Homosexual persons are sexually
promiscuous or pedophiles.
SEXUAL INTEGRATION
=Integrating sexuality into the
totality of who we are
Friendships and relationships
are important.
CHASTITY

= the virtue of living out one’s
sexuality according to God’s will

is lived out differently according to
vocational lifestyle and sexual
orientation

all are called to be chaste
Wear your flak jacket!





Your convictions
Your love of kids
Church Teaching
The support of your team
The strength of God and the
angels!
Ways to Address Sexual
Orientation in the Classroom





Break the silence! Don’t be afraid to use
the words gay, lesbian, and bisexual.
Assume that 4 – 10% of your students
are gay/lesbian – 1 to 3 in a class of 30.
Challenge put-downs and homophobia.
Be prepared for the teachable moments.
Draw on current events.
Ways to Address Orientation
in the Classroom . . .

Acknowledge the gay, lesbian,
and bisexual people whom the
students already know.
SPORTS

Martina Navratilova

Greg Louganis
PERFORMERS
 Elton
John
 Melissa Etheridge
 Ellen DeGeneres
AUTHORS



Walt Whitman
James Baldwin
Langston Hughes

Be conscious of the sexual
orientation of characters in your
classroom literature.
Totino-Grace High
School
Another Journey
The things we have
learned . . .
Know the Church Teachings



Always Our Children US Bishops’
Committee on Marriage and Family,
1997, 1998
Sharing Catholic Social Teaching
USCCB, 1998
Catechism of the Catholic Church
“The Catholic Church proclaims
that human life is sacred and that the
dignity of the human person is the
foundation of a moral vision for
society. We believe that every person
is precious . . . And that the measure
of every institution is whether it
threatens or enhances the life and
dignity of the human person.”
USCCB, 1999
THEME FOR THE YEAR

“See the Face of God”
Which faces remain invisible
in your school?
“The teaching of the Church makes
it clear that the fundamental
human rights of homosexual
persons must be defended and that
all of us must strive to eliminate
any form of injustice, oppression,
or violence against them.”
Always our Children, USCCB
“It is not sufficient only to avoid
unjust discrimination.
Homosexual persons ‘must be
accepted with respect,
compassion and sensitivity.’”
Catechism of the Catholic
Church, #2358
Always our Children, USCCB
Students and parents are
counting on us to do something
to protect all children in our
schools.
Are all students safe in
your school?
The things we have
learned . . .
KNOW YOUR
COMMUNITY AND ITS
NEEDS
LEADERSHIP CAME FROM
THE TOP



President’s meeting
Faculty Inservice on the topic of
Pastoral Care for Homosexual
students
Formal training for faculty and staff
ANCHOR STAFF
“The Anchor Staff includes members of
the Totino-Grace faculty and staff who
are here to listen to students with issues
related to sexual identity. This includes
students who are gay or lesbian, and
reaches out to their friends and family
as well.”
ANCHOR SYMBOL
One of the earliest of Christian
symbols that means stability . . . As
in fishermen who would drop the
anchor in a storm to keep the boats
steady. We, hopefully, offer stability
to those we serve. Our ultimate
anchor is Christ.
A Mosaic of Faith: A Celebration of
Catholic Schools Week





Recognition and blessing of people
involved in outreach ministry
Student Support Services
Student of Color Group
Peer Counselors
Anchor Staff
“Look upon our brothers and sisters who
give of their time and talents to be available
to our Totino-Grace community. May your
Holy Spirit descend upon these men and
women and give them good judgment,
wisdom, compassion and understanding.
May you, O God, hold them and all of us in
the palm of Your hand and keep us close to
You as we struggle and journey through life.
Amen.”
Catholic Pastoral Committee on
Sexual Minorities Training Manuel
Building Safe Schools: A Catholic
Perspective
1.
Laying the Foundation: A Faculty
Inservice
2. Defining Safe Staff
3.
The GLBT Reality and the
Catholic Church
4.
Coming Out
5.
The Classroom Setting and
Beyond
GLBT students need allies
and count on them to
address harassment at
school.
RESPONDING TO HARASSMENT
Do’s and Don’t




Do deal with a situation immediately
Don’t ignore it, let it pass, or let your
fears block your ability to act
Do confirm that the behavior is hurtful
and will not be tolerated
Do value the feelings of others by active,
sensitive listening
Do’s and Don’ts



Do take steps to support the victim and
enable him/her to develop a stronger
sense of self
Do take those involved aside to discuss
the topic
Do apply consequences to the abuser in
accordance with the school rules
Do’s and Don’ts



Don’t overreact with another put-down
of the offender
Don’t focus entirely on applying
consequences while ignoring the feelings
of the victim
Don’t assume that the incident is an
isolated occurrence divorced from the
overall context in which it occurred
The things we have
learned
Don’t move too fast
Action is born out of
students’ needs
Totino Grace Diversity Club
MISSION STATEMENT
“The Diversity Club is open to all
students who have a desire to
gain and spread knowledge of
many forms of diversity in our
world, in order to promote peace,
understanding and an end to
ignorance.”
THINGS WE HAVE LEARNED
The issue of Pastoral Care is one issue
among many related to diversity and
the creation of a safe environment for
students.
Racism, Classism, Ableism, Sexism,
Religious Discrimination,
Heterosexism
HETEROSEXISM
The system of oppression that
reinforces the belief in the inherent
superiority of heterosexuality and
heterosexual relationships and
negates gay, lesbian, and bisexual
people’s lives and relationships.
Examples of Heterosexual Privilege



The privilege to have children without
any questions
The privilege to dress as one pleases
without worrying about what it
represents to others
The privilege to talk openly about your
family, relationships or social activities
Heterosexual Privilege


The privilege of family support
The privilege to be represented
continually in media by heterosexual
references and role models
The things we have learned
Ask yourself, “Will this
program hurt or help the
overall cause?
What is the project’s purpose?
Will it hurt or help the cause?



Day of Silence (April 22)
National Coming Out Day (October 11)
Gay faculty members coming out to the
community
“See the Face of God”
“Another person’s words are the
windows to his or her world, through
which I see what it is like to be that
person. If he or she cannot speak, if I
do not listen, or if I cannot understand,
then we must remain suspicious
strangers to one another, uncognizant of
our authentic similarities and
differences.”
Sidney Jourard
RESOURCES YOU DON’T
WANT TO MISS . . .




www.glsen.org
A Place at the Table, Southern Poverty Law
Center
Homosexuality, Catholic Teaching and
Pastoral Practice, Gerald D. Coleman, S.S.
Being Gay and Lesbian in a Catholic High
School, Beyond the Uniform, Michael Maher
Jr., PhD
RESOURCES CONTINUED




Free Your Mind, Ellen Bass, Kate
Haufman
Straight from the Heart – video
It’s Elementary – video
www.st-agnes.org, click “About SAA,”
click “Sexuality Program”