Activists are speaking out against a sweeping policy change affecting children at Catholic Schools in southwest Iowa that prohibits them from using their preferred pronouns and bathrooms that defy their biological sex.
The seven new stipulations from The Diocese of Des Moines went into effect on Monday, and all revolve on how the religious organization deals with gender identity at is 17 schools and 80 parishes across the state.
A sect of the Catholic Church, the Diocese laid out an official document outlining the new rules – which includes a mandate that students participating in sports play only on teams matching their sex at birth.
Other rules to be enforced include that if the school has a dress code, students must follow it based on their biological sex, along with strict ban on gender blockers on school grounds.
The final rule insists students questioning their gender be brought to ministers within the church for guidance – and progressives such as State Senator Claire Celsi are already slamming the stipulations as un-Christian.
On Monday, the diocese – which is headed by 60-year-old Bishop William M. Joensen -published the official policy document, which outlined the new rules and how the organization ultimately decided on the changes
Progressives such as State Sen. Claire Celsi are already slamming the stipulations as un-Christian
‘Diocese of Des Moines codifies ostracism of transgender kids,’ Celsi, who took to Facebook to express her concerns about the diocese’s directives, wrote in a post on January 4 after they were announced.
The Democrat went on to point to the fact that the diocese receives more than $100 million in public taxpayer dollars for its schools, and in recent years, has sought even more funding.
‘These schools want public dollars and want to treat kids in a way that might cause them to commit suicide,’ the politician said.
Celsi would then brazenly declare: ‘This is not what Jesus would do.’
In another post days later, the state senator renewed her attack on the religious organization, citing the fact the she, herself, attended Catholic School in the Beehive State as a youth.
Tagging the diocese directly, Celsi wrote: ‘The Diocese of Des Moines is trying to shun and exclude people based on their sexual orientation and gender expression.
‘This is clearly NOT behavior that should be allowed in schools that already get $100 million in public taxpayer dollars and are clamoring for more.’
A sect of the Catholic Church, the Diocese laid out an official document outlining the new rules – which includes a mandate that students participating in sports play only on teams matching their sex at birth. Pictured: One of the schools in its jurisdiction
Other rules to be enforced include that if the school has a dress code, students must follow it based on their biological sex, along with strict ban on gender blockers on school grounds
The post saw the politician share an image of a poster she said was hung in her class as a six-year-old student. The sign read: ‘God doesn’t make junk.’
Celsi’s sentiments that the diocese is overstepping its bounds and is defying the rights of its young students was shared by a slew of local LGBTQ+ advocates and faith leaders who say the new policies preach hate toward the transgender community.
One such group, the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa, recently slammed the policies as ‘dangerous,’ arguing that they promote ‘bigotry’ toward transgender Iowans.
Other opponents include Keenan Crow, director of policy and advocacy for One Iowa, who insists the recently laid rules – which the diocese has since defended as being ‘part of a lengthy process’ aimed to address questions from leaders in its schools and churches – will harm students and churchgoers.
Other opponents include Keenan Crow, director of policy and advocacy for One Iowa, who insists the recently laid rules will harm students and churchgoers
‘That sounds like conversion therapy to me,’ Crow said Monday of the policies. ‘Which we know for a fact not only cannot deliver the results that it promises, but that in fact is… a dangerous discredited practice that every major American Medical Association has come out swinging against.’
Crow’s colleague Courtney Reyes, executive director of the LGBTQ+ equality organization, further criticized the diocese, in a statement that slammed the group for insisting the policies demanded ‘genuine compassion’ for transgender people.
‘No other members have to fight to be called the correct name, have their correct pronouns used or receive access to the appropriate restroom,’ the activist wrote in a written statement after the full breakdown of the policies was released Monday.
‘Calling this ‘compassion’ is equivalent to confusing ‘hate’ with ‘love,” Reyes went on. ‘You cannot pretend to be compassionate while misgendering people and denying them access to any and all spaces under your control.’
The backlash comes after the contents of the then yet-to-be-released plan were obtained and reported on by KCCI earlier on in the month.
On Monday, the diocese – which is headed by 60-year-old Bishop William M. Joensen and is responsible for four hospitals as well as its array of schools and churches – published the official policy document, which outlined these new rules and how the organization ultimately decided on the changes.
A spokesman for the diocese, wrote that the rules have been ‘part of a lengthy process’ geared toward addressing concerns from school and church staff revolving around students’ gender identity.
The final rule insists students questioning their gender be brought to ministers within the church for guidance
The Diocese of Des Moines’ communications director, Anne Marie Cox, confirmed Monday that all seven of the stipulations – ranging from the pronoun and locker room enforcement to the banning of gender blockers – will go into effect immediately
The Diocese of Des Moines’ communications director, Anne Marie Cox, confirmed Monday that all seven of the stipulations – ranging from the pronoun and locker room enforcement to the banning of gender blockers – will go into effect immediately.
DailyMail.com has reached out to the Diocese of Des Moines for comment on the new guidances – which opponents such as Celsi and Crow have promised to fight.
Speaking to the Register Monday, Celsi explained that many people who are exploring their gender identities are often young, and the new rules now remove schools as a place of refuge.
‘To actually come out, and say, ‘We’re going to stamp this out, we’re going to pretend like it doesn’t exist,’ and issue this kind of edict is, I think, reprehensible,’ she told the Paper.
Crow, meanwhile, acknowledges the diocese has the right to set its own policies but says that the rhetoric present in the new rules is harmful, and should be spoken out against.
‘The most dangerous thing for an LGBTQ person is lack of acceptance from their family,’ said Crow. ‘And so if an institution is able to convince their family members that this is the way that they should be treated, that absolutely skyrockets, that the adverse mental health outcomes, the suicide risk.’
The Diocese of Des Moines currently operates 80 churches, 17 Catholic schools and four hospitals in the Southwestern Iowa. It is not yet clear how the new rules will be enforced at the hospitals.