There are at least five different views of gender, sometimes conflicting, sometimes overlapping.

How do we make sense of all this? Perhaps we could try to uncover a view of the human person that doesn’t rely on “gender” as something separate from sex, but still accommodates the practical reasons why someone would attempt to separate gender from sex in the first place. Within this view, we can still readily condemn practices in various cultures which rely on stereotypes, for example:


  • denying women the same access as men to education, sports, and professional fields
  • paying women lower wages than men for the same work
  • taking advantage of women in vulnerable situations, personally invasive communication, and other forms of coercion
  • abuse, concealment of abuse, gaslighting, and skepticism toward women when they reveal they have been abused
  • viewing members of either sex as objects of gratification


The view of the human person articulated throughout Love Means More implies the sort of respect and love for each person which rules out all of the practices in this list and more. Whatever a culture’s view of “gender” might be, separating it from sex is fundamentally unintelligible.

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Bishops Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, MN., and Kevin Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, IN.,

are pictured in a combination photo. (OSV News photo/Courtney Meyer/Bob Roller)

Federal Agencies Distort Truth, Threaten Religious Freedom With Gender Ideology Rules

By Bishop Robert E. Barron and Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades


Over the past several years, federal agencies have been working methodically to promote gender ideology at the expense of the rights of people of faith. Recently, that steady march became a sprint. Over three weeks in April and May, federal agencies issued eight separate rules enshrining gender ideology in law. 

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Bishops Respond to Mockery of the Last Supper

At the July 26 Paris Opening Ceremony, the Last Supper was mocked in a performance that included drag queens and a child. Bishops from around the world heavily criticized the performance, including the bishops of France, Vatican official Archbishop Charles Scicluna, Bishop Robert Barron, and Bishop Andrew Cozzens. Bishop Cozzens, chairman of the recently concluded National Eucharistic Congress, called the faithful to prayer and reparation for the animosity directed at our Lord.

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Legal/Policy Updates

 

Biden Administration – The administration continued to support "gender-affirming care" (short of surgery), even though FDA officials acknowledged that an earlier step in this medical pathway, puberty blockers, increased the risk of depression and suicidality. As a result of ongoing judicial proceedings, an internal FDA email became public in which an official recommended puberty blockers for this purpose in spite of the elevated risk.


Courts – The Good: A federal court temporarily blocked part of the Biden Administration's attempt to enforce a distorted version of Title IX that would have forced insurers and medical professionals to provide "gender-affirming care". The Supreme Court allowed that and other ongoing lawsuits to block the harmful provision in 26 states, but the provision went into effect in the remaining 24 states.


Catholic counselors filed a federal lawsuit against the state of Michigan, alleging that its overly broad ban on conversion therapy violates their freedom of speech and prevents them from counseling patients experiencing gender discordance.

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