Australian Catholic Bishops Conference releases gender, sex education guide

The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference has released a guide to support schools in responding to the individual social and pastoral needs of students, outlining a Catholic view of gender and sex.

Among its many recommendations the guide encourages the use of "gender dysphoria" or "gender incongruence" over transgender when referring to students.

While the guide says the term transgender could be used to describe persons who have "gender transitioned" in a medically, surgically or socially permanent way, it should not be used for children or adolescents of any age who are "testing" a new gender presentation.

It also recommends avoiding the term cisgender, where one's assigned gender and sex align, arguing "it reflects a misunderstanding of the significance of biological sex".

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Catholic Education Sandhurst chief executive Paul Desmond says Created and Loved: A Guide for Catholic Schools on Identity and Gender outlines a pastoral approach shaped by the "theological, medical and legislative context in which all Catholic schools operate".

"Catholic Schools within the Diocese of Sandhurst are committed to respecting the dignity of all, particularly the most vulnerable," he said.

"We respond compassionately and sensitively to ensure that people of all faiths, genders, sexualities, abilities and cultures feel welcome and valued, regardless of what stage of the journey they happen to be on.

"Every person is unique and precious to God, and we are committed to providing support and understanding to each and every child in our care."

While not a theological document, the guide says it helps schools best care for students within the boundaries of the Catholic faith.

This includes a recommendation for schools to create an all-gendered change room or private bathroom space not aligned to biological sex to increase access and safety options for vulnerable students.

"It is paramount that close attention is paid to providing access and participation for all students and ensuring environments are inclusive, safe, fair and free from discrimination," the guide reads.

Flexible uniform expectations are also suggested, alongside the recommendation that all school documentation is to record a student's biological sex, their preferred name, identity and use of personal pronouns.

"A school records a student's sex, which cannot change," the guide says.

"Their felt gender, which could change multiple times, might be noted on the school record but does not replace their sex.

While individual schools will implement the ideas as it suits, the guide suggests the use of "ideas, words and images that are in conflict with the generosity of the Christian vision" should be "respectfully avoided".

The Church holds that apart from rare cases of people born with a combination of both male and female biological characteristics, "every human being is born either biologically male or biologically female".

Regarding gender identity, the guide says the rigid cultural stereotypes of masculinity and femininity are unfortunate and undesirable because they can create "unreasonable pressure on children to present or behave in particular ways".

The guide frames modern society as "typically viewing gender as a social construct and has widely adopted the belief that each person's innermost concept of themselves determines their gender identity", which is seen as divorced from the Church's view.

"These recent social changes in definition and language are in conflict with the Catholic understanding of Creation, in which every person is created good and is loved unconditionally as they are," the guide reads.

The guide will not be binding in any immediate way, and some Catholic schools have already shown a difference in their understanding of the issues of gender and sex identity.

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In 2021, a student at Melbourne Catholic boys' school Xavier College announced her transition to fellow students and was able to stay to complete her final year.

The school supported her decision with an email sent to members of the Xavier community by principal William Doherty and the school's Jesuit priest Father Chris Middleton.

"After an extensive period of personal discernment, specialist advice and counselling, we note that a Year 12 student has today announced to the Xavier community her identity as female," the email read.

"We affirm her in her decision."

"We will continue to welcome, care for and educate our female student in all ways.

"Jesus, of course, was the great includer, often challenging the norms of his time centred on the universal tenets of love and inclusion."

Other organisations such as Transcend Australia have produced guidelines for including gender diverse students with the aim of supporting, affirming and celebrating trans and gender diverse and non-binary children and their families.

The guidelines outline that using incorrect pronouns, deadnaming, separating a class by gender, or forcing a non-binary child to use a gendered toilet can trigger distress, dysphoria and even self-harm.

The Transcend guidelines explain that "trans" is an umbrella term used to describe a person whose gender does not align to the gender assigned to them at birth.

"Assigned at birth is an important part of this definition, because many trans people feel that they have been made to live in a gender that does not fit with the gender they know themselves to be," the guidelines read.

"Their view is that their gender was assigned to them without anyone stopping to ask who they thought themselves to be."

The guidelines can be read here.

Anyone needing support can contact Rainbow Door on 1800 729 367 or by text on 0480 017 246, from 10am till 5pm every day, or call QLife on 1800 184 527 or chat online at qlift.org.au from 3pm to midnight, everyday.

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