Countrify

A Catholic Voice for LGBT Parents

by Michael A. Jones 

The Archdiocese of Denver sent a chilling message to LGBT parents earlier this month by kicking out two young students -- one kindergartner and one pre-schooler -- from local Catholic schools because their parents were two moms. The decision was backed up by the Archbishop of Denver, Charles Chaput, who said that since the Catholic Church believed gay marriage was sinful, then they had every right to view the children of gay parents as unworthy of a Catholic school education.

But now four groups are fighting back, looking to both challenge Chaput and the Denver Archdiocese, and also provide a supportive platform for Catholics to rally behind LGBT families. The groups -- Call to Action, Dignity USA, Fortunate Families, and New Ways Ministry -- took full-page ads out in the Denver Post and the Boulder Daily Camera to give voice to LGBT families in the area who either would like to send their kids to Catholic schools, or who do have kids currently enrolled. These groups also challenged the Denver Archdiocese to stop playing politics with the lives of children.

"It's hurtful to see the Catholic Church rejecting gay people," the ad reads. "But rejecting children because their parents are gay? That hurt can last a lifetime."

All forms of rejection can cause enough pain to last a lifetime. But there is something particularly egregious about expelling a pre-schooler and a kindergartner from school, separating them from their friends, and drawing national attention to their case when these kids should be learning how to read, how to count, or how to get along with others.

Marianne Duddy-Burke, the Executive Director of DignityUSA, said that the ad was hoping to point out the error of the Archdiocese's ways.

"The Archdiocese of Denver has the legal right to expel these young children, but that doesn’t mean that it’s the right thing to do,” said Duddy-Burke. “We grieve at seeing these children hurt in this way, and we hope that the Archdiocese will listen to the voices of those who express their concerns about how these children are being treated.”

The bottom line is that the Archdiocese's decision to boot out these children hurts everyone involved. It hurts the two children by removing them from the school system they've known. It hurts their parents who now must find new schools for their two children, and watch their children become pawns in a political game. And it hurts the Catholic Church, because it moves the church away from diversity. For a church that consistently says that it's placing the best interests of children at the core of their work, the decision by the Archdiocese of Denver to supporting removing these two students from the classroom is, simply put, a disgrace.

At least there are groups out there, like the four involved with this advertisement, giving a voice to LGBT parents from a Catholic perspective. The Archbishop Chaputs of this world don't own the market on Catholic theology, even if they like to think that they do. You can be Catholic, and support LGBT equality, full stop.