Gay clubs in catholic schools

This was inand the administrators argued that a group like that would force students to choose an identity too quickly, and also that the group was unnecessary since the school was safe for gay students. The latter claim was almost true. My sense is that the adults took a no-nonsense, strict approach, so I was teased a bit but not targeted for ongoing harassment.

That said, the two exceptions I can think of were both incidents of explicitly anti-gay harassment of openly gay students. We eventually did end up getting permission to form a GSA. But before that, we found one another through more covert means. We joked that we were the Botany Club: Our first order of business was the study of pansies.

We supported one another, in a semi-feral way, separated from and antagonistic toward adults in authority. Gay students will find one another. It can only choose how much the administration knows about it. It seems to me that one major purpose of a Catholic educational system is to help young people discern their vocations.

They need to know that God is calling them to love and to be loved: to form devoted friendships, to care for their families, to serve the suffering, to dedicate themselves to God in ascesis and prayer, to serve God and the Church through artistic creation, to teach. They, too, are being called to increase the love, beauty, and joy in the world.

Catholic schools will follow Ontario's gay-straight club requirement

How could an openly-acknowledged GSA aid in this discernment? Well, for one thing, its relationship to the adults around it would not need to be antagonistic. The school chaplain or a local priest could attend some of the meetings, and talk with the kids about any misconceptions they may have about the faith. Married teachers, or single ones, could speak with them about their vocations and discernment process.

They could be encouraged to see that all forms of love come with characteristic sufferings and lonelinesses: Every form of love has its own kind of cross. These priests and teachers could seek to learn from the kids, from their fears and questions and experiences, and encourage the kids to learn from the adults. I do think straight adults often underestimate the loneliness—and fear of even greater future loneliness—of gay Christian teens.

None of this is likely to happen in a hidden, covert group. Your support helps us continue our mission of providing thoughtful, independent journalism. With your contribution, we can maintain our commitment to principled reporting on the issues that matter most. This was inand the administrators argued that a […].

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