Largest Catholic University in U.S. Now Offering Students Nine Gender Pronoun Options

DePaul University (DePaul) is the nation’s largest Catholic university, and apparently it has forgotten what the Catholic Church believes about the creation of humankind as male and female as two distinct, yet complementary sexes.

According to The College Fix, DePaul recently “jumped on the opportunity” to allow students to choose nine different gender identities.

In an Instagram post, the DePaul University Student Government Association (SGA) announced the “very exciting” update to the university’s Campus Connect platform.

The platform now allows individuals to choose from a myriad of gender identities: male, female, intersex, non-binary, transgender male, transgender female, cisgender, unspecified and “I do not wish to self-identify.”

The University’s SGA noted that while the gender identity feature is new, what isn’t new is an individual’s ability to select their pronouns or sexual orientation.

Among the various pronoun options, students can choose: he/his, she/hers, they/theirs, and unspecified.

Additionally, from the various options available to choose a sexual orientation, students can select: asexual, bisexual, gay, heterosexual, lesbian, pansexual, queer, unknown, and unspecified.

The update to include gender identity occurred through the Campus Connect platform adding the feature.

It was after this update that, according to Michael Wright, assistant vice president at DePaul’s Registrar Office, “DePaul jumped on the opportunity to ‘promote ways for students to express their identity, if they choose to do so.’”

DePaul also has as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Queer, Asexual and Ally Student Resource Center which exists “to promote, foster and support a campus environment that is inclusive of people from all sexualities and gender identities.”

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Queer, Asexual and Ally Student Resource Center apparently hosts an “annual drag show” in order to highlight “the dynamic and diverse drag performances located in Chicago.”

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Queer, Asexual and Ally Student Resource Center also hosts “Queer Halloween” which is an “annual celebration where LGBTQIA+ students, faculty and staff come together over delicious desserts celebrating the Halloween season.”

Additionally, Mycall Riley, DePaul’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Queer, Asexual and Ally Resource Center coordinator, recently told the university that “misgendering” someone is “harmful because it allows for trans and gender-expansive folks to be seen as jokes or as less of a person.”

“Incorrectly assuming someone’s pronouns also assumes someone’s gender, which can lead to other marginalizing and harmful behavior,” Riley said. “We’ve all been socialized to assume gender. If you use the wrong pronouns when addressing someone, it’s important to acknowledge your mistake and then work really hard to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

It’s important to remember that in reality, “misgendering” means correctly referring to an individual with pronouns that correspond to their biological sex – even if that individual does not wish to be called by those pronouns. In other words, “misgendering” really means “correctly gendering.”

DePaul also requires all students who attend on-campus locations to provide proof, not only of full vaccination against COVID-19, but also proof of a booster shot five months after the initial doses of Pfizer or Moderna, or just two months after the initial dose of Johnson & Johnson.

DePaul University was founded in 1898 and is named after the Catholic saint, St. Vincent de Paul, a priest known for his dedication to serving the poor.

St. Vincent de Paul founded the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians), which opened St. Vincent’s Church in Chicago. The church later opened a college which became DePaul University.

The university claims that is mission “proceeds from the heart of the Church and remains grounded in the values and life example of Jesus of Nazareth.”

“As a university inspired by a broad-ranging Catholic intellectual tradition, our community is enriched by people from many religious and philosophical traditions collaborating to further knowledge, wisdom, truth, and the common good,” the university claims.

But apparently DePaul has neglected its own church’s teaching on sexuality.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), in paragraph 2357, makes clear that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered” and are “contrary to the natural law.”

CCC 2359 says that “homosexual persons are called to chastity,” while CCC 2358 says that homosexual persons “must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity.”

Additionally, the Catholic Church has always understood that human beings are created as two distinct, yet complementary sexes: male and female.

CCC 2335 says that “each of the two sexes is an image of the power and tenderness of God, with equal dignity though in a different way.”

CCC 2333 says, “Everyone, man and woman, should acknowledge and accept his sexual identity” (emphasis in original).

The Daily Citizen reached out to DePaul’s president, A. Gavriel Esteban, PhD inquiring as to whether he was aware of the Catholic Church’s teaching on these issues, and why DePaul doesn’t abide by them despite claiming to be inspired by the “Catholic intellectual tradition.”

We did not receive a reply.

Additional resources:

Understanding Homosexuality

Resources: Homosexuality

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