Georgetown University, the oldest Catholic institution of higher education in the United States, has implemented a new housing policy that allows students to live in "gender-inclusive" dorms, regardless of their biological sex. This change, which was supported by a majority of students and university administration, has raised concerns among conservative members of the student community and Catholic advocacy groups.
The new housing policy, which will begin with first-year students in the upcoming fall semester, allows students to indicate on their housing application if they are in need of gender-inclusive housing and if they are willing to live in an inclusive housing space. The university's housing system, CHARMS, will then match students accordingly.
The change has been met with support from student leaders and advocacy groups, who have been pushing for gender-inclusive housing for years. Valli Pendyala, advocacy director of the student organization Georgetown University Pride, told The College Fix that the university has a supportive community, including its LGBTQ Resource Center.
However, not everyone is on board with the change. John Ritchie, director of Catholic advocacy group TFP Student Action, described Georgetown's decision as "trampling on Catholic morality." He argued that the university should reject the "woke nonsense of transgenderism" and return to its traditional Catholic roots.
The Catholic Church teaches that marriage is between one man and one woman and that individuals cannot change their sex. According to the Vatican, any sex-change intervention "risks threatening the unique dignity the person has received from the moment of conception."
Despite the concerns raised by conservative members of the student community and Catholic advocacy groups, the university has not received much pushback on campus over the change. Pendyala told The College Fix that "overall, there wasn't really a lot of pushback" and that "even a lot of admin" were supportive of the change.
It remains to be seen how the new housing policy will impact the university's Catholic identity and whether it will lead to further changes in the future. However, it is clear that the issue of gender-inclusive housing is a contentious one, with strong opinions on both sides.
In the meantime, the university has committed to creating a committee to look at gender-inclusive housing for all undergraduates with a target start date of Fall 2025. The committee will likely face a difficult task in balancing the needs and concerns of all students and upholding the university's Catholic identity.
Sources:
thecollegefix.comaier.orgrumble.com