The Vatican Celebrates Pride by Telling Trans People We Don’t Exist

Shocking some, though not me personally, the Vatican has released an official document denying the validity of trans people, as well as non-heterosexual relationships.

In a document that is meant to serve as a guide for Catholic educators released Monday, the Vatican claims that a person cannot change their gender assigned at birth, The Washington Postreports. As a counterargument, I present, uh ... me? Anyway, the document also states that fluid gender identities go against "the truths of existence" and that only unions between "one man and one woman" are good. Happy Pride!

"This statement reinforces the Vatican's entrenchment in a simplistic and outdated ideology of biological determinism," said Marianne Duddy-Burke, the Executive Director of DignityUSA, said in a statement to Out. "Church leaders are perpetuating a vision of humanity that fails to respect the diversity of human experience."

According to the Post, many pro-LGBTQ+ Catholic leaders are understandably disappointed by the document, as they had hoped Church leaders might've updated their literally Medieval positions on gender and sexuality.

"It feels especially cruel and insensitive for this statement to be released as people all over the world are marking the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall rebellion," Duddy-Burke continued. "For the Vatican to depict the courage, struggle, and sacrifice of so many individuals and families as an effort to destroy the concept of gender and destabilize families is not merely personally hurtful to countless people. It also has potentially dangerous consequences for LGBTQI people all around the world, by giving justification to those who see us as inherently threatening and frequently resort to violence against us."

RELATED | The Pope Said Those Who Disregard Gay People 'Don't Have a Human Heart'