Members of the Georgetown University community at a vigil for Trans Day of Remembrance in 2024
Posted on 11/30/2024 3:35:50 PM PST by ebb tide
Members of the Georgetown University community at a vigil for Trans Day of Remembrance in 2024
The following are some items that may be of interest:
1. The Georgetown University community held a vigil to mark Transgender Day of Remembrance in late November, which honors the trans and gender non-conforming people lost to violence in the past year, reported The Hoya, the student newspaper of the Catholic school in Washington, DC. The vigil, which was sponsored by student group GU Pride, was held by candlelight with the names of victims read aloud, mostly by trans and nonbinary students and faculty. Jackie Early, director of outreach for GU Pride, explained the purpose of the vigil:
“‘The major impetus behind this is to ensure that trans lives lost this year and all years aren’t lost to a statistic. . .I think a lot of people are used to encountering or finding out about trans violence as a statistic, right? We often see statistics of anti-trans bills and things of that nature, but this is the very tangible impact and personal impact of what this day does.'”
One faculty member, Ashley VanMeter, commented on the vigil’s high turnout, particularly by allies, which VanMeter was “really happy to see. VanMeter continued, “It was quite a bit larger of a group than I was anticipating. And not everybody who came was trans, so I think that’s a really positive sign that the Georgetown community does care.” Earlier this year, Georgetown University announced it would begin providing gender-neutral housing for transgender and nonbinary students.
2. Leslye Colvin, a member of New Ways Ministry’s Advisory Board and Bondings 2.0 contributor, authored Pax Christi USA’s Advent booklet this year. Titled Seeking Wisdom’s Light, the booklet offers daily reflections each concluding with a brief question. Colvin addresses many justice themes and issues, including LGBTQ+ inclusion. On the Second Sunday of Advent, she writes, in part:
“[M]any of the faithful have only experienced this [Advent] season under the burden of social sins that deny their human dignity. Mary and Joseph were very familiar with unjust structures and systems. From systemic racism and white privilege to unjust wages and underfunded schools to food deserts to the desecration of creation to the rejection of LGBTQIA+ persons to forced migration to ostracizing those of other faiths, there is no shortage of social sins. Through genuine encounters and relationships with those on the margins resulting from these structures, we move deeper into the Divine Mystery, and beyond worshiping the idols of prestige and power. In time, we unexpectedly begin to experience hope springing anew from the margins as we learn to discern what is truly of value.”
3. A Boston College professor defended a government-funded study on LGBTQ+ youth as consistent with the college’s Catholic identity after facing right-wing attacks. The study led by Paul Poteat, a psychology professor, will analyze a new intervention program for queer youth in collaboration with LGBTQ+ youth groups. In response to critics claiming the study contradicts church teaching, Poteat said that while he is not personally Catholic:
“‘I do believe that this work and its aims align closely with the Catholic Jesuit principles that are best highlighted in the mission statement of our School of Education and Human Development at Boston College. . .[These principles are] to enhance the human condition, expand the human imagination, and make the world more just. . .
“‘Many LGBTQ+ students contend with unsafe learning environments in school. Those who experience marginalization report greater school avoidance, poorer report card grades, and lower intentions to complete high school. LGBTQ+ youth need tailored interventions to address their specific needs, build upon their strengths, and promote positive social-emotional and academic outcomes.'”
4. A judge in Canada has upheld the Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools Board’s decision to sanction and then expel a board member, Monica LaGrange, who posted anti-LGBTQ+ content to social media, reported Todayville. In 2023, LaGrange’s posts compared the LGBTQ+ movement to Nazism. After she refused to apologize and undergo sensitivity training about LGBTQ+ issues and the Holocause, the school board removed her. Now, Justice Cheryl Arcand-Kootenay of the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta says that expulsion remains in force. Arcand-Kootenay described the board’s process was “logical, thorough, and grounded in the facts that were before the Board at the time of their deliberations.” The judge refuted LaGrange’s claim that the sanctions were unjustified because they were not rooted in law, explaining the board’s code of conduct made clear the sanctions could be imposed.
Cardinal Matteo Zuppi
5. Earlier this year, Bologna’s Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, president of the Italian Episcopal Conference and papabile according to some observers, spoke positively about LGBTQ+ families during an Italian film festival. Asked about the idea of queer families, Zuppi responded positively saying further study was needed and there is a goodness to be found in diverse families:
“Everyone must be in the Church, regardless of any consonant or vowel and this is very important. We need to understand what queer means, in my opinion. A person named Michela, whose surname was Murgia, explained it to me. She told me about these children she had with whom she had no blood ties, then she married a man because she loved him and because he could continue to have that bond with these children. I believe there can be a bond without necessarily having a legal aspect. The point is to love each other.”
Cardinal Matteo Zuppi
5. Earlier this year, Bologna’s Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, president of the Italian Episcopal Conference and papabile according to some observers, spoke positively about LGBTQ+ families during an Italian film festival. Asked about the idea of queer families, Zuppi responded positively saying further study was needed and there is a goodness to be found in diverse families:
Jesuits Barf Alert
The point is to love each other.”I wonder when the Cardinal last had to define the verb "to love"? He deliberately confuses affection with charity.
Thank goodness there have been no deaths in the straight community by whatever cause.
/s
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