Hegemonic Marriage is Unique for a Reason?

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has started a blog called Marriage: Unique for a  Reason, which was one of the factors that inspired me to start this blog. I can't take this ignorance anymore. I'm excommunicating the USCCB's blog!

Watched their YouTube video about "Sexual Difference," the Basis for "real" marriage.



There are so many problems here, I don't even know where to begin.

First of all, there are some vague attempts to portray this hegemonic couple as in some way progressive (the wife is a lawyer, etc.) On the other hand, most of the other gender roles are 100% stereotypical...The man brings home groceries, the woman cooks. The man fixes a bike, the woman brings him water. This does not compute even from the standpoint of gender equality. Women are equally capable of doing these things, and yet the video doesn't feel the need to genuinely express this point. Way to go USCCB, you're perpetuating stereotypical gender roles for both men and women... I'm pretty sure that could be an excommunicable offense.

Secondly, what about those who do not fit within the social boundaries of "man" and "woman?" Yes, I am referring here to people who are non-gender conforming (or non-cisgender): transgendered, genderqueer, transexual, intersex, two-spirited, or basically non-normative. Way to go USCCB, you're perpetuating gender binary and erasing identities... I'm pretty sure that should be an excommunicable offense.

Thirdly, this entire dialogue between the couple could be performed by a same-sex couple and it would make sense. Sure, the guy has a penis and the woman has a vagina. However, does that physical reality really discount the sexual complementarity of non-heteronormative couples? I reccomend that you check out the YouTube video of Terry Miller and Dan Savage, of the It Gets Better Project. Way to go USCCB, your erasing Gay identities...I'm pretty sure that should be an excommunicable offense.

Here's an article about heterosexual privilege by Patricia Beattie Jung, a Roman Catholic theology professor at Loyola University Chicago.

My question to the USCCB - When will you make an It Gets Better video?

Fordham Students form Queer Task Force committee

The Fordham Queer Task Force is a committee, founded within Fordham’s Rainbow Alliance, dedicated to educating the broader Fordham community about issues pertaining to the Queer community, as well as the specific policy challenges facing Queer students at Fordham. The Task Force brings together leaders from across the University, students as well as faculty. 

Queer Task Force Mission Statement:

"Queer" is an umbrella term that is used to describe people with marginalized sexualities (lesbian, gay, or bisexual), as well as gender identities (transgender) or genitalia (intersex). While the word was initially used as a slur with the intention to isolate those sexual minorities seen as "other," it has in recent decades been reclaimed by individuals who identify as Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Asexual, Pansexual, Questioning, Allies, and other individuals who identify with non-normative sexualities and/or gender identities. Therefore, the Queer identity facilitates solidarity and is sensitive to the intersecting identities within a single individual.

The Oxford English Dictionary cites the first ever usage of the word "queer" in 1513 (from the German quer), and it originally referred to something strange, odd, peculiar, or eccentric. In 1914, OED cites the first usage of "queer" as a description for homosexuals, which after that developed into a derogatory slur. From the late 1980s, it states, "queer" was reclaimed and developed into a self-identifier accessible to the entire LGBTQ movement, "without regard to, or in implicit denial of, its negative connotations." Although it shouldn't be necessary to appeal to the dictionary, this reputable source demonstrates the widespread acceptance and reversal of a slur. The queer community accomplished the same end as the Society of Jesus in reclaiming a term that was originally an insult. The term "Jesuit" was originally a derogatory word referring to people who too readily invoked the name of Jesus in the politics2. Therefore, it seems that a Jesuit institution, given this history, would be sympathetic and supportive of this identity. 

Fordham University is blessed with an unbelievably vibrant community of queer folks: students, faculty, staff, and parents. While LGBT is accepted as an acronym that brings together sexual minorities, it is inherently exclusive of those whose identities do not fit within those four letters. Nor could any other similar acronym accomplish this goal (such as LGBTA, Gay and Lesbian, QUILTBAG assuming the Q means "questioning"). No other word except "queer" can sufficiently express this concept. Other universities, and Fordham itself, have sponsored Queer events on campus- one of the More than A Monologue conference sessions was titled "Pro-Queer Life: Youth Suicide Crisis, Catholic Education, and the Souls of LGBTQ[ueer] People. "

The Division of Student Affairs at Fordham lives out its Jesuit and Catholic mission by cultivating "moral and intellectual development […where] the student […] will be expected to fully participate in the education offered by full participation in the community." The Queer Task Force exists because Queer students are unable to fully participate in the community without hosting events, discussions, and mission advertising that includes the word "queer." With all due respect to the inter-generational nature of the Fordham community, one which dates back to 1842, it is not feasible to ban a word out of discomfort or fear. It is especially important to be aware of this issue, in light of the recent bias events that have occurred in our community. Other Jesuit college communities have been facilitating this discussion. In reference to an inclusion initiative, sponsored by the University of Scranton GLBTQ(ueer) club, President Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J. said, "There is no room for prejudice on a Catholic campus." Banning a word that is used by a community to self-identify is, implicitly, prejudice.

The current situation at Fordham, under Student Affairs policy, is that "queer" may not be used freely in clubs' mission advertising and events. The current policy is not in line with the Catholic and Jesuit goals nor the goals of any university community, and it is injurious to the community. In light of the recent events of bias on both the Lincoln Center and Rose Hill campuses, it is crucial to proceed as a university that is not afraid of solidarity and dialogue. It is equally crucial that Student Affairs policy reflect this.

Queer 101: Queering the Discussion at Fordham University

Fordham's PRIDE Alliance and Women's Studies department co-sponsoring a discussion of Queer identity on campus at Fordham. While the Jesuit Univeristy of New York has several resources in place for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender students (indeed, more than most Catholic schools), the term "Queer" is currently banned on campus, based on the assumption that it used to be considered a derogatory term.

Queer identity, students said, reinforces a wholistic commitment to inclusivity and avoiding the kinds of binaries that put people into boxes such as straight versus gay, black versus white, male versus female, etc.

Fordham's policy towards LGBT students has been to support and cultivate their identities in deference to the Catholic notion of human dignity and respect, as well as to the Jesuit tenet of Cura Personalis, or care for the whole person. However, the word "queer" throws a monkey wrench into things, as a reclaimed term.

As Queer Theology asserts, those inclined to social justice will find parallels between queerness and marginalization. Preferential option for the poor and marginalized being at the forefront of the social justice "doctrine" if you will.

Bl. Mother Teresa of Calcutta reflects that, "Even the rich are hungry for love, for being cared for, for being wanted, for having someone to call their own."As a religious sister, a contemplative in the world, and a saint, Mother Teresa found the presence of Christ in each individual. 


Queer individuals can radiate Christ in their identity, and some within the theological community claim that Christ was queer. If sexual identity -  straightness, gayness, bi-ness, of queerness are all equally essential (even if Queer theory argues that they are all socially constructed), then you really have to reach past these categories in order to know the individual. Peruvian priest, Gustavo Gutierrez, asks"You say you love the poor? Name them."


In order to truly love the individual, you must strive for deep understanding of the person - including sexual identity. The inherent flaw with the "love the sinner, hate the sin" fallacy is that we are still making an existential connection between the "sinner" and the "sin." What if the sinner is not a sinner at all, but Christ in disguise?

First Post

I was inspired to start this blog primarily by the More than a Monologue Conferences, a series of four events held at four institutions (2 Catholic, 2 non-denominational): Fordham, Fairfield, Yale, and Union Theological Seminary.

At Union Theological Seminary, one of the speakers - an ex-Catholic who identified as part of a "queer diaspora" within the Metropolitan Community Church. He stressed the need for a "queeruption"within the Catholic world. Basically, stressing the fact that individuals need to give voice to the LGBTQ-supportive majority of people within the church.

The allegations of this conference being a vehicle of "sacrilege" and "dissent" from the ultra-conservative Cardinal Newman Society are indicative of increasing polarization within the church community. I was saddened to hear that the president of this society, a Fordham alumnus, was chosen as a commencement speaker at my former high school.

The pressure and culture of silence around queer folks in the Catholic community is really reaching a point that is untenable. The bishops' antics are becoming comical. It's time for LGBTQ Catholics to #Occupy their own religious traditions and claim fully their Catholicity.

More to come!