Upon returning to school at Saint Paul Catholic High School in Bristol, CT, students noticed a gender identity section had been added to the student handbook. This section is blatantly discriminatory towards all students a part of the LGBTQ+ community. It states that students can only be referred to “according to their God-given, biological sex as male or female”. This statement manipulates Catholicism to justify transphobia.

Students cannot learn or simply feel comfortable in a school that fosters this way of thinking. Saint Paul’s handbook acknowledges this in their statement of philosophy section where they say, “We believe that every individual is a unique creation of God and must be treated with the greatest respect. Adolescents learn best in an atmosphere of mutual respect where they feel safe, are nurtured, and have a sense of belonging.” However, they directly contradict this statement in the gender identity section where they make individuals of the LGBTQ+ community feel excluded and disrespected.

Please sign this petition to stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community at Saint Paul who need our support to change these discriminatory rules in the student handbook set by the Archdiocese of Hartford. Check out this segment on the news:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wtnh.com/news/connecticut/hartford/outrage-over-gender-identity-section-of-st-paul-catholic-high-school-handbook/amp/