Hundreds of Catholic schools told to discourage students from seeking gender-affirming surgery

On Sep 5, 2022

Hundreds of Australian schools will be told to discourage students experiencing feelings of ‘gender incongruence’ from undergoing gender-affirming surgery.

Educators and staff at more than 1,700 Catholic schools across Australia will be advised that for the majority of children, the feeling that their biological sex and their gender identity is mismatched is a ‘psychological condition’.

New advice to be discussed at the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference will ask teachers to refrain from encouraging the use of puberty blockers, hormone therapy or gender-affirming surgery.

The Catholic body states such actions will cause ‘unnecessary damage’ such as possible infertility and the ‘possibility for healthy human growth’ in a new guidance document obtained by The Australian.

Hundreds of Australian schools will be told to discourage students experiencing feelings of ‘gender incongruence’ to undergo gender-affirming surgery (pictured, Sydney students)

The document states that feelings of gender dysphoria is in fact a psychological condition that children will eventually grow out of and suggests teachers use a ‘biopsychosocial model’ when offering support.

The model is based on research that found a strong relationship between ‘childhood gender incongruence and family dynamics’ that can be quelled with psychological support for both the child and their family.

Pictured: Melbourne Archbishop Peter Comensoli, the chair of the Bishops Commission for Life, Family and Public Engagement

The research found 80 to 90 per cent of pre-pubescent children who don’t fit ‘social gender expectations’ are ‘not gender-congruent in the long-term’.

‘By discovering the child’s and family’s stories, practitioners are able to understand the gender variance felt by the child or young person within the context of family and their domestic environment,’ the advice continues.

Teachers have been advised to ‘respectfully avoid’ concepts that suggest a child’s assigned gender is different to their gender identity and that gender is fluid.

The guidance states that while wider society has accepted a person’s ‘innermost concept’ of themselves determines their gender, this opinion remains at odds with the ‘Catholic understanding of creation’.

Melbourne Archbishop Peter Comensoli, the chair of the Bishops Commission for Life, Family and Public Engagement, believes the guidance document will help teachers show compassion for their students.

The archbishop said Catholic schools were led by the ‘foundational principle that each person is created in the image and likeness of god, and is loved by god’.

When it comes to sport, the advice urges Catholic school teachers to refer to commonwealth guidelines and reiterates sport must be inclusive and safe (pictured, Melbourne students)

Melbourne Archbishop Peter Comensoli (pictured) believes the guidance document will help teachers show compassion for their students

‘That principle guides this document, which we offer to our schools to support them in walking compassionately alongside each student we are invited to educate,’ he said.

While the document suggests the use of unisex bathrooms and flexibility when it comes to uniform expectations, the document states that biological sex must be recorded when students enroll in a Catholic school.

When it comes to sport, the advice urges Catholic school teachers to refer to commonwealth guidelines and reiterates sport must be inclusive and safe.

It states it ‘may be lawful’ to exclude a student over the age of 12 from single-sex competition where the ‘strength, stamina or physique of competitors is relevant.’

The document will be discussed at the National Catholic Education Conference currently taking place in Melbourne.