CTA Denounces Bishops: “Transgender Catholics deserve a church that will listen”

December 20, 2017 -- Call To Action, a Catholic organization that has worked for equality and justice for over forty years, is heartbroken and angered by the letter recently posted on the US Catholic Bishops’ website, titled “Created Male and Female.”

This ecumenical letter, which was signed by four Catholic bishops, represents an outdated and harmful understanding of gender that is rejected by the majority of faithful US Catholics.  Call To Action stands in solidarity with the many transgender people, including transgender Catholics, who have been harmed by this statement.

"These four bishops-- and their fellow co-signers-- are speaking either in willful ignorance or flagrant mean spiritedness regarding transgender Catholics. Either way, this is an inexcusable, and sinfully routine display of oppression,” said Zachary Johnson, Call To Action’s Executive Director.“

As we prepare for the birth of Jesus, who preached a gospel of inclusion and radical welcome, it is horrifying that the authors of this letter would choose to spend their energy attacking people who already experience marginalization and exclusion in our church,” he continued. “In this season when we are called to proclaim good will and peace, bishops should be speaking out against the violence and discrimination that transgender people often experience, not adding to it.”

“The majority of Catholics celebrate our transgender loved ones and are grateful for their contributions to our community,” says Johnson. “Transgender Catholics deserve a church that will listen to their wisdom, honor their truth and speak out for their rights. Catholics across the United States are committed to building that church, and we hope that the bishops will join us.” 

Zach Johnson, Call To Action Executive Director

773-988-2352, zach@cta-usa.org