Gender shake-up coming to Sydney Catholic Schools revealed

New guidelines for care of trans kids are being hailed as a “great first step” by advocates. Should Catholic schools have a ‘gender dysphoria’ policy? Vote in our poll.

Sydney Catholic Schools have revealed a new Gender Dysphoria Policy for the 70,000 schoolchildren in its care which trans advocates have said is not perfect but a “huge step” for traditionally conservative Catholic schools.

The new policy states students experiencing gender dysphoria must be treated with compassion and respect but also says they must be “helped to accept their own body as it was created”.

“While there is no explicit Catholic teaching on the nature or causes of gender dysphoria, the Church affirms the inherent differences between males and females,” the policy states.

“Gender dysphoria is recognised as a mental health condition. It should not be confused with the occasional gender experimentation or gender questioning experienced by some children and adolescents during their maturation and development.”

Under the rules, any requests or notification regarding a student who is experiencing gender dysphoria must be made to the relevant principal at the Diocese’s 150 schools — they will discuss the matter with the parish priest who will also inform the archbishop.

Decisions about participation in sport, use of toilet facilities and change rooms will be made by the executive director of the school network Tony Farley.

Mr Farley said the new policy was an update of existing ones in schools which wanted to see children “thrive” regardless of their particular circumstances.

Tony Farley, Sydney Catholic Schools executive director. Picture: Lawrence Machado

“The number of students presenting with gender dysphoria and related identity issues has been, and continues to be, very small in number,” he said.

“Our system of schools is guided by well known Catholic Church teachings which the Archbishop very clearly and publicly upholds. The Archbishop also understands the complex nature of these issues and the need to put the welfare of each student at the centre of all decisions.”

The Catholic Schools policy says parents must be consulted — contrasting with the public school system which gives principals the power to overrule mums and dads when it comes to making decisions about what names, pronouns and bathrooms will be used at school.

Trans advocate and gender diversity consultant Katherine Wolfgramme said she had issues with elements of the new Catholic school policy, including one section which says not all requests will necessarily be accommodated, but was pleased they had a plan.

Transgender advocate Katherine Wolfgramme says the policy is a step in the right direction. Picture: John Appleyard

“This is a great first step towards the security, safety, wellbeing and happiness for future children with gender dysphoria seeking education within the Sydney Catholic Schools system,” she said.

“I hope one day other gender diverse children including non-binary children will be considered in future policies laid out by the schools within the Archdiocese of Sydney.”

Psychiatrist Dr Tanveer Ahmed approved of the move to call it a gender dysphoria policy which looked at helping children with any psychological disturbance.

“You can still be supportive without being completely affirmative (of a child’s trans identity) … there’s a lot of evidence to show that, you know, affirmative is where people are getting puberty blockers at age 11,” he said.

“So if they want to have a policy that is quite open and flexible, calling it gender dysphoria, I think is better because if they call it done and dusted, it’s a trans person, that is quite final, and the vast majority of cases are not final.”

Originally published as Gender shake-up coming to Sydney Catholic Schools revealed