Thomas Griffin 8/3/24 (For National Catholic Register)
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Social media and major news outlets were consumed with the story of a preliminary women’s boxing round in Paris yesterday. Angela Carini of Italy bowed out of her fight against Imane Khelif of Algeria after less than a minute of boxing.
The story was not about Carini’s quick loss but about her opponent, Khelif, who failed a gender eligibility test for the 2023 World Championships. Khelif had high levels of testosterone and XY chromosomes. By now, you have probably heard of the story. Khelif does not identify as transgender and has competed in women’s boxing for years.
The details of this particular story are not new. Catholics must come to grips with and confront the growing normalcy of gender identity in the culture while remaining true to Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church. Growing numbers of organizations are promoting gender identity and championing the cause as a move for equality.
More school districts are also creating policies for children who suffer from gender dysphoria. Even this past July, the state of California issued a new law that wouldn’t require school staff to notify parents if their child had decided to change his or her gender identification. Unfortunately, those who are against such promotions have been and will be deemed bigots.
When the world watches a biological male compete against a biological female in the Olympics, there appears to be much more clarity on the topic of transgenderism, as this physically taxing sport illustrates the clear sexual difference.
This is what the Catholic Church, and all disciples, must lead the discussion with. There is no place for followers of Christ to demean Khelif or others who compete in such a way. We are not asked to belittle people, but to speak the truth in love. We do this by becoming more clear with our language and by reflecting on the nature of the Christian faith itself.
Thomas Griffin is the chairperson of the religion department at a Catholic high school on Long Island where he lives with his wife and two sons. He has a masters degree in theology and is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Empty Tomb Project: The Magazine. He is the author of Let Us Begin: Saint Francis’s Way of Becoming Like Christ and Renewing the World.
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