Students at the University of Portland are demanding that their Catholic university protect gender identity under its nondiscrimination policy.
Shane Ruyle, a student at the University of Portland, wrote an op-ed in The Beacon, stating that the addition of gender identity to the anti-discrimination policy is “long overdue.”
An October resolution from The Associated Students of the University of Portland called on administrators to ban gender identity discrimination with its university policies. UP concluded that Title IX protections already encompassed gender identity, a response the opinion’s author considered insufficient in light of the election of Donald Trump in November.
The University of Portland, a Catholic university, already provides on-campus LGBTQ+ resources including gender-inclusive bathrooms and housing and allows students to change their names and pronouns. Nevertheless, in the opinion piece the author stated he was “apprehensive about attending a Catholic university” as a trans student and urged the school to expand its inclusion policies.
When asked for comment, Dan Christopherson, UP Director of Public Affairs, responded, “The University of Portland is committed to constructive dialogue and freedom of expression… The University will continue to engage thoughtfully with members of our community – especially students – in manner that is consistent with our Catholic, Holy Cross identity and our mission of offering a transformational experience to all students we are blessed to educate.”
The Catholic Church teaches that men and women with homosexual tendencies “must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity” and without discrimination but does not condone homosexual or transgender lifestyles. The Church calls these individuals to live lives of holiness and chastity and invites all individuals to accept the dignity of their God-given sexual identities (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2357-2359, 2393).
The opinion piece disagrees with these views, stating, “when UP has to choose between pressures of the Catholic Church and student rights, it chooses to uphold traditions of discrimination every time.”
This article was originally published at campusreform.org
