A group that represents North Dakota’s Roman Catholic bishops is contacting parents of students at the University of North Dakota and asking that they urge administrators to reject the school’s proposed “gender inclusion” policy. The policy, which is still in draft form, would require the use of a transgender person’s preferred pronouns and the use of facilities that align with a person’s gender identity. The Catholic Conference, on behalf of Bishop David Kagan of Bismarck and Bishop John Folda of Fargo, sent a letter this week to parents. UND President Andrew Armacost says the policy is intended to protect transgender students.
AP
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UND President Andrew Armacost says the University plans a Friday news conference to reply to a religious organization’s claims about a gender inclusion policy being developed by the school.
A Jan. 10 letter to parents was written by the North Dakota Catholic Conference’s executive director and general counsel Chris Dodson.
It says UND ‘s proposal “embraces acceptance of a particular ideology about gender and language that is contrary to Catholic teaching and infringes upon free speech and religious rights.”
Armacost responded during a virtual town hall with faculty and staff today (Wed).
“We began drafting this gender inclusion policy to implement federal law, Supreme Court rulings, state Department of Labor and Human Rights policy, and the state Board of Higher Education policy.”
Armacost added: “We are certainly firmly committed to free religious expression and fully recognize that as we address the rights of one group, we cannot do it to the detriment of the rights of another group.”
Among other things, the letter claims UND’s proposed policy would create problematic student housing situations.
Armacost said the letter makes claims about the draft policy that are untrue, but added that he appreciated one part of it, in which Dodson wrote “that everyone should be treated with respect.”
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