Catholic Social Teaching/ Themes

The Church promotes tolerance and respect towards every person’s dignity. In the teaching of the life and dignity of the human person, there cannot be true peace unless the dignity of every person is respected. The Bible teaches that human life is sacred, and amongst the epidemic of hate crimes and unjust laws against transgender people, their dignity is being inherently violated and ignored. Romans 12:10 instructs Catholics to, “...love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor.” This verse exemplifies living peacefully in companionship, as we must work to promote living in harmony with our transgender brothers, sisters, and siblings. This verse also speaks to the teaching of solidarity. Loving thy neighbor is at the heart of solidarity, which is crucial to creating peacemakers in the world who will be able to make change. Currently, much of the population refuses to live in solidarity with our transgender siblings. Equal bathroom access is key to promoting coexistence in schools and the workplace. We need to live together with respect for one another, which can only be done when transgender people’s rights and dignity are respected by the government as well as employers, teachers, students, and the working class. Psalm 72 promotes peace through living rightly with others, “That he may defend the oppressed among the people,

save the children of the poor and crush the oppressor”.