The topic of gender ideology was top of mind at Sacred Heart Major Seminary on Nov. 7 as lay faithful, parish leaders and volunteers gathered for the annual Lay Ecclesial Minister (LEM) Speaker Series, "In the Heart of the Church."
Theresa Farnan, Ph.D., a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center focusing on the challenges of gender ideology through her work on the Person and Identity Project, presented “A Pastoral Response to Gender Ideology: Balancing Compassion and Truth in Ministry to Youth Who Experience Body and Identity Related Stress.”
The one-hour talk took a deep dive into the anthropological context of gender ideology, along with strategies to help young people who struggle within a culture that not only takes up transgender philosophy, but promotes it.
Farnan is the co-author of two books, "Get Out Now: Why You Should Pull Your Child from Public School Before It’s Too Late" and "Where Did I Come From? Where Am I Going? How Do I Get There? Straight Answers for Young Catholics."
Fr. Peter Ryan, SJ, a Sacred Heart faculty member and former colleague of Farnan's at Mount St. Mary’s University, served as faculty host and moderator.
Anthropology as a lens
Christian anthropology — the study of the human person — acts as a lens for how one understands who he or she is and how one relates to others, Farnan said. Traditionally, the understanding of the human person has been rooted in philosophy and reason, is known intuitively, and is borne out by experience, she said.
One’s primary identity is as a son or daughter of God, created male or female (Genesis 1:27) with integral unity of body and soul, Farnan said.
“The body has intrinsic meaning. Your body is you. You can’t separate or disassociate yourself from the body,” Farnan told those gathered.
Because the male or female body is joined with the human soul at conception, there is no possibility of misalignment between body and soul. The Church addressed the topic beginning in the 1990s when the words “sexual identity” were first included in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 2333-4, 362 and 371).
In today’s culture, people mistake feelings and personal interests for identity, causing confusion for young people who might believe if they look or act a certain way, it could be at odds with their male or female identity, Farnan said. Yet most adults know women and men have overlapping personality traits, she added.
Farnan recounted her own experience in middle school, when she wasn’t interested in wearing dresses and preferred to play sports with her brothers. As she got older, she was drawn to philosophy, a largely male-dominated field, yet that didn't change her identity as a woman.
“This is what we’ve understood for centuries to be the truth about the human person … We are not stereotyping or boxing kids in by holding to an account of a person based on Christian anthropology,” Farnan said. “In fact, our account gives them the flexibility to develop their unique interests and personality.”
Farnan laid out the history of gender ideology, starting with the post-modern, post-Christian world which emerged in the 1950s and ‘60s. Instead of turning to God and Church as authority, science began to play the role of cultural authority and oneself became personal authority.
In the late 1960s, Dr. John Money introduced the idea of gender as a social construct with experimental and radical practices on the Reimer twins, Farnan said. The tragic story was marked by abuse, yet Dr. Money's ideas spread.
Today, gender ideology has engulfed nearly every corner of the culture, from handouts shared in classrooms of public schools, language scrutinized for “misgendering,” and changes to federal laws such as Title IX to define sex not as male and female, but as sexual identity, Farnan said.
Hope rooted in truth
In an interview prior to the talk, Farnan encouraged people to remain hopeful and positive in spite of cultural trends.
“My advice is always to lead with the positive,” Farnan said. “We have failed to present what the Church teaches, which is a beautiful, positive, affirming teaching. This is a universal teaching that applies to everyone, and we can be confident that the answers lie within it.”
She suggested “three P’s” to guard young people from gender ideology, and to help those who are struggling — be proactive, be protective, and get personal.
Farnan recommended parents establish healthy relationships and talk openly with children about the truth of the human person from an early age, building a foundation rooted in an authentic understanding of their identity.
“Gender ideology begins with language," Farnan said. "We need to reconnect our kids to biological reality and bring them back to the reality of the body.”
Farnan recommended explaining at each age and stage what the Catholic Church teaches, both in casual conversation and in drawing from Pope St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, the YouCat (youth catechism), and other sources. She also suggested using correct pronouns versus “preferred pronouns” and biological sex instead of “sex assigned at birth.”
Pornography and gender ideology permeate social media, creating a problem for parents who want their children to know that their identity is found in God, not on TikTok, Farnan added. Set boundaries, monitor social media use, and, in the case of young children, eliminate it all together to help combat outside messaging that doesn’t align with a family’s values, she said.
Farnan said parents and adults need to protect children or teens who want to go down the path to gender transition — a path that often begins with affirmation of the transgender identity and can quickly lead to a domino effect including puberty blockers and surgery.
“It’s important to let them know that you can be the person you were made to be without harming your body,” Farnan said.
Farnan added it's important to love, ask, listen and guide young people by establishing loving, trusting relationships that will serve as a basis for conversations in difficult times.
“We have to get to these struggling kids before the culture does,” Farnan said. “If you see someone who is struggling, do not wait for someone on Tumblr, TikTok, or an online forum to tell them they’re trans. Get to know them. Find out what is going on. Their pain is real.”
Farnan emphasized that building a relationship doesn’t mean affirming a transgender mindset, but it does mean saying, “I’m here for you, and I will be here five years from now.”
During the question-and-answer portion after Farnan's talk, Fr. Ryan added his thoughts on the point of personal connection.
“Rather than accepting the person’s assessment of who they are on the inside, better to explain that God didn’t make a mistake when He created you," Fr. Ryan said. "He’s loved you for all eternity. He knit you together in your mother’s womb, and you’re beautiful in His sight just as you are.”
Looking for practical tools
While many attendees were parish staff members, youth volunteers or catechists, the audience also included concerned parents, those who have been personally impacted by the issue, and those who have observed the culture’s pressure toward transgender acceptance. All were looking for tools to navigate the topic, and for suggestions on how to be loving without encouraging their loved one to walk down a self-destructive path.
Lynn Kennis, a religious education coordinator at St. Joseph Parish in Lake Orion for third- and fourth-graders, confirmation classes, and the middle school youth group, attended the talk to learn how to approach gender ideology with the programs she oversees.
“I see this as an issue. I see kids struggling, and I have catechists come to me asking for guidance,” Kennis said.
Kennis found Farnan's anthropological insights both interesting and valuable.
“You need to start with the truth, and then try to meet them where they are emotionally and socially,” Kennis said. “I agree with what (Farnan) said, that we have to help kids know that God loves you, and you were made this way. You can change the color of your hair or the clothes you wear, but God loves you the way he made you.”
Kevin Clarke, Ph.D., dean of the Institute for Lay Ministry at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, reflected with gratitude on Farnan’s presentation and pointed to Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron’s recent pastoral letter, The Good News About God’s Plan: A Pastoral Letter on the Challenges of Gender Identity, as a resource for those seeking to navigate the complex and challenging topic.
“As Dr. Farnan showed during her presentation, she has a pastoral sense of the acute suffering individuals, families, and our culture have experienced because of gender confusion. I am very grateful that Fr. Peter Ryan recommended her to us, as her message is vitally important in light of Archbishop Vigneron’s pastoral letter,” Clarke said. “She strongly stressed the need for families to be proactive in ministry, to be protective by limiting cultural indoctrination when possible, and to be personal through listening and loving guidance.”
Resources
To view Farnan’s full talk, visit Sacred Heart Major Seminary's Facebook page.
To read Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron's 2024 pastoral letter, The Good News About God’s Plan: A Pastoral Letter on the Challenges of Gender Identity, visit the Archdiocese of Detroit's website.
For other resources on the topic of gender ideology and the Catholic vision of the human person, including videos, articles, definitions of terms and more, visit the website for the Person and Identity Project, a work of the Ethics and Public Policy Center.
Among other authors, both Farnan and Fr. Ryan have contributed to the book Gender Ideology and Pastoral Practice: A Handbook for Catholic Clergy, Counselors, and Ministerial Leaders.