Doctrinal Disciplining of Sexual and Gender Minorities in Canadian Catholic Schools

• In Event: 14.043 - Roundtable Session 1
  In Roundtable Session: 14.043-21 - Heteronormativity and Its Discontents: Teachers, Students, and Schools

Abstract

Clashes between Catholic canonical law and Canadian common law regarding sexual minorities continue to be played out in Canadian Catholic schools. Although Section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982) ensures same-sex equality in Canada, sexual and gender minorities experience a form of doctrinal disciplining in Canadian Catholic schools. Catholic doctrine regarding lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (lgbtq) people, who are referred to in Catholic parlance as “persons with same-sex attraction” (Ontario Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2003, p. 3), can be distilled down to the colloquial Christian expression: “Love the sinner, hate the sin.” This irreconcilable concept underlies curricular and policy decisions regarding sexual diversity and the existence of lgbtq people in Canadian Catholic schools.

Author

• Tonya D. Callaghan, University of Calgary