Activists erupt as Diocese of Des Moines enacts anti-woke rules in churches and ... trends now
Activists are speaking out against a sweeping policy change affecting children at Catholic Schools in southwest Iowa that prohibits them from using their preferred pronouns and bathrooms that defy their biological sex.
The seven new stipulations from The Diocese of Des Moines went into effect on Monday, and all revolve on how the religious organization deals with gender identity at is 17 schools and 80 parishes across the state.
A sect of the Catholic Church, the Diocese laid out an official document outlining the new rules - which includes a mandate that students participating in sports play only on teams matching their sex at birth.
Other rules to be enforced include that if the school has a dress code, students must follow it based on their biological sex, along with strict ban on gender blockers on school grounds.
The final rule insists students questioning their gender be brought to ministers within the church for guidance - and progressives such as State Senator Claire Celsi are already slamming the stipulations as un-Christian.
On Monday, the diocese - which is headed by 60-year-old Bishop William M. Joensen -published the official policy document, which outlined the new rules and how the organization ultimately decided on the changes
Progressives such as State Sen. Claire Celsi are already slamming the stipulations as un-Christian
'Diocese of Des Moines codifies ostracism of transgender kids,' Celsi, who took to Facebook to express her concerns about the diocese's directives, wrote in a post on January 4 after they were announced.
The Democrat went on to point to the fact that the diocese receives more than $100 million in public taxpayer dollars for its schools, and in recent years, has sought even more funding.
'These schools want public dollars and want to treat kids in a way that might cause them to commit suicide,' the politician said.
Celsi would then brazenly declare: 'This is not what Jesus would do.'
In another post days later, the state senator renewed her attack on the religious organization, citing the fact the she, herself, attended Catholic School in the Beehive State as a youth.
Tagging the diocese directly, Celsi wrote: 'The Diocese of Des Moines is trying to shun and exclude people based on their sexual orientation and gender expression.
'This is clearly NOT behavior that should be allowed in schools that already get $100 million in public taxpayer dollars and are clamoring for more.'
A sect of the Catholic Church, the Diocese laid out an official document outlining the new rules - which includes a mandate that students participating in sports play only on teams matching their sex at birth. Pictured: One of the schools in its jurisdiction
Other rules to be enforced include that if the school has a dress code, students must follow it based on their biological sex, along with strict ban on gender blockers on school grounds
The post saw the politician share an image of a poster she said was hung in her class as a six-year-old student. The sign read: 'God doesn't make junk.'
Celsi's sentiments that the diocese is overstepping its bounds and is defying the rights of its young students was shared by a slew of local LGBTQ+ advocates and faith leaders who say the new policies preach hate toward the transgender community.
One such group, the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa, recently slammed the policies
