Gender Identity
Discussion of gender identity has grown in pop culture, politics, and academia and is amplified by a cooperative media.
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
- Genesis 1:27
Step 1: Watch the Video
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This video covers the topic of gender identity from the perspectives of biology, social sciences, testimonials, unintended victims, and the Christian response.
An introductory overview of the Tough Topics Gender Identity Program
Source List
Introduction
Can a 5’9, White Guy Be a 6’5, Chinese Woman?
Full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=xfO1veFs6Ho
© 2022 Family Policy Institute of Washington, www.fpiw.org
Episode 1: Biology: What Does Science Say?
Sex, Gender and Identity
Full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=teLOw10MCsM
© 2022 CanaVox, www.canavox.com
Mary Hasson at Gender Ideology Conference
The Gender Revolution: Culture and Political Change
Full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCeQZ8OJaUU
© 2022 Person & Identity, www.personandidentity.com
Episode 2: Social Sciences: What Do Studies Say?
Ryan Anderson
When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment
Full video: https://www.christendom.edu/2018/11/20/heritage-foundations-dr-ryan-anderson-discusses-t
ransgender-moment/
© 2022 Christendom College, https://www.christendom.edu/
Episode 3: Testimonials: What Does Experience Say?
Walt Heyer
He Used to Be Trans—Here’s What He Wants Everyone To Know
Full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlRkLtKqSrY
© 2023 The Heritage Foundation, www.heritage.org
Chloe Cole
Identity Crisis: 'I'm Still Recovering' From Hormones, Surgery at 15
Full video: https://www.iwf.org/identity-crisis
© 2023 Independent Women's Forum, https://www.iwf.org/
Episode 4: Other Victims: What Does Experience Say?
Transgender Athletes Joined Her High School Track Team
Full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIlq85dL0C4
© 2022 Daily Signal, www.dailysignal.com
Episode 5: Love of Neighbor: What is the Christian Response?
Very Rev. Paul Scalia
Deus Carita Est: On The Theological Virtue of Charity
Full video: https://instituteofcatholicculture.org/events/deus-caritas-est-2
© 2022 Institute of Catholic Culture, www.instituteofcatholicculture.org
Biographies of Featured Speakers
Mary Hasson
Mary Hasson, JD, is the Kate O’Beirne Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. She is a co-founder and Director of the Person and Identity Project, and leads the Catholic Women’s Forum, a network of Catholic professional women and scholars amplifying the voices of women in support of Catholic teaching.
An attorney and policy expert, Mary regularly advises legislators and faith-based organizations, writes for various publications, and is a frequent media commentator and speaker, including speaking on behalf of the Holy See at the United Nations.
Ryan Anderson
Ryan Anderson, President of the Ethics and Public Policy Center and Founding Editor of the journal Public Discourse. He is the author of When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Movement, and Truth Overruled: The Future of Marriage and Religious Freedom.
A Princeton University graduate with a PhD in political philosophy from the University of Notre Dame, Dr. Anderson’s research has been cited by the United States Supreme Court. He has appeared on ABC, CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, and Fox News. His work has been published by the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and Oxford University Press among other prestigious academic and mainstream news outlets.
Walt Heyer
Walt Heyer is a formerly transgender woman who subsequently re-transitioned due to the regret he felt during gender change. A public speaker and author of the book, Trans Life Survivors, Mr. Heyer travels extensively to share his story at conferences, churches, and universities. Through his website, SexChangeRegret.com, and his blog, WaltHeyer.com, Heyer raises public awareness about those who regret gender change and the tragic consequences suffered as a result.
Fr. Paul Scalia
Fr. Paul Scalia was ordained as a Roman Catholic Priest in 1996, when he finished his master of arts degree at the Angelicum in Rome. He is now Episcopal Vicar for Clergy in the Diocese of Arlington and Pastor of Saint James Parish in Falls Church, Virginia. He founded the Arlington chapter of Courage, an apostolate that counsels men and women with same-sex attractions in living chaste lives in fellowship, truth and love. He served as its chaplain from 2004 to 2011 and served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Courage International, from 2010 to 2018. He remains a member of the Board.
Step 2: Review Important Principles
After watching the video, give teens a chance to comment or ask questions.
Go over the following together:
Created Beings: God is our Creator and he made us male and female.
Health: Living in accord with one’s biological sex is vital for our physical, mental, and spiritual health.
Honesty: Words should be based on reality, and language cannot change reality.
Charity: It is not compassionate to “affirm” a person’s false assertion about his gender.
“We are created by God in love, for love, and for eternity. Our identity is a created son or daughter of God.”
- Mary Hasson
Step 3: Practice the Role-Play
Scenario #1: Class President Confusion
At the beginning of the new school year, the senior class president, Jonathan, announces that he identifies as a girl, that his new name is “Jade,” and that everyone should use feminine pronouns in referring to him. A classmate confronts you after she hears you refer to Jonathan as he, saying, “Why don’t you just call her Jade and use she? Calling her by her dead name and the wrong pronoun shows that you obviously just hate trans people.”
View this Script Ver este Guión
Scenario #2: Drama in Drama Class
Fiona shows up at school after summer break dressed like a boy and demanding that she be called Fin, and be referred to as “him.” You do your best to avoid calling her by name at all because you don’t want to encourage the false identity she has assumed, but you also don’t want to hurt her feelings by calling her “Fiona.” However, one day in drama class she asks you, “Why don’t you call me Fin? Do you hate me because I’m trans?”
View this Script Ver este Guión
Scenario #3: Sent to the Principal’s Office
At the beginning of the new school year, the senior class president, Jonathan, announces that he has transitioned, that his new name is “Jade,” and that everyone should use feminine pronouns in referring to him. After overhearing you refer to Jonathan as “he,” the assistant principal calls you to his office and tells you that it is very discriminatory to “misgender” “,” and that if you fail to use the “proper” pronouns, you’ll be disciplined.
“To love means I want what is good for the other... The more we know the truth about God, reality, and the human person the more we know the good for the other.”
-Rev. Paul Scalia
“When people ask for help from me, I have one simple thing I ask them: Tell me what was it that caused you to not want to be who you are? 100% of the time, they can tell me.”
-Walt Heyer
Download the program materials and distribute to participants. The materials include the important principles and the complete role-play scenarios for participants to review and put into practice.
Best Practice:
Allow 2 hours: one hour for video, one hour for role-playing.
If parents are present, arrange the room so that the focus is on the youth
(i.e. youth seated in the front, parents in the back)Present Tough Topics Video Program
Invite the youth to share any initial reactions
(i.e. How did you feel about that? What struck you? Did you learn anything new?)Break into small groups to act out the scripts
Invite the youth to share personal experiences and collaborate on how the conversation could unfold in light of the material learned
Conclude with prayer
(we recommend the prayer of St. Teresa of Calcutta found below)Consider following up with a related service project
St. Teresa of Calcutta
Public Domain
A Prayer of St. Teresa of Calcutta (1910 - 1997 AD)
People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered; Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; It was never between you and them anyway.
Recommended Age:
13+ years old, defer to parent’s judgement. A segment of the video program contains strong and explicit material unsuitable for pre-teens.
Prerequisite: Some sex ed covered by parents.
Helpful sex ed resources: The Birds and Bees Online Program, Cana Vox Tips, PUREly YOU!, Theology of the Body for Teens, Sexual Wisdom for Catholic Adolescents
See other age appropriate recommendations in Raising Children of Light.
Additional Resources:
For up-to-date information: Society for Evidence Based Gender Medicine (SEGM) https://segm.org.
For support, formation, workshops, and pastoral guidance: Person and Identity Project https://personandidentity.com/resources/lookingforsupport/
For help communicating with school officials: Responding to the Transgender Issue: Parent Resource Guide www.GenderResourceGuide.com
Two minute testimony of Chloe Cole after undergoing gender transition as a minor child. https://youtu.be/LvBa3OxqNxE
For the 5 part television series: The Transgender Movement--What Catholics Need to Know https://www.ewtn.com/tv/shows/transgender-movement-what-catholics-need-to-know.
For an 8 minute video by Fr. Mike Schmitz on Gender Identity: https://www.facebook.com/AscensionPress/videos/bruce-jenner-the-transgender-question/10154869584995832/
For a testimonial of Rene Jax, author of Don't Get on the Plane--Why a Sex Change Will Ruin Your Life: https://www.facebook.com/AscensionPress/videos/bruce-jenner-the-transgender-question/10154869584995832/
For science-based arguments in support of supernatural truths, view free videos such as "The Remarkable Evidence of a Transcendent Soul," and "Science, God, and Creation," available at www.magiscenter.com/videos
For resources to assist those with same-sex attraction: Truth & Love, https://truthandlove.com
For parents of younger children: CanaVox https://canavox.com/videos/helping-our-children-navigate-gender-ideology-the-elementary-yearsmature/
For young children 3-7 years old, Philo and Sophie: Philosophy for Children by Healing the Culture www.philoandsophie.org
For classic philosophical principles: Ten Universal Principles: A Basic Primer on Respect for Human Life, https://healingtheculture.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/TEN-UNIVERSAL-PRINCIPLES-TUP-prolife-flyer-2022.pdf
Biblical Commentary on “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Gen 1:27)
“1:27: male and female: The sexual distinction between man and woman is willed by God, as is its purpose to reproduce the human race (1:28) The image of God is not only borne by individuals but is also expressed through man and woman as a couple. From the image of the natural family, then, we can infer that God, in the mystery of his inner life, is a community of persons united by a bond of love and shared life (cf. John Paul II, Mulieris dignitatem 7).”
Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: Genesis, With Introduction, Commentary, and Notes by Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch, pg. 19.