A Catholic church district in the US State of Iowa has banned the use of preferred pronouns by students at its schools and will refer to all pupils by their birth gender.
The Diocese of Des Moines has also prohibited biological boys from entering girls’ locker rooms or bathrooms.
The rules are part of an official guide on managing students’ identity issues.
It rejects the use of drugs, hormones or surgery in an attempt to present as the opposite sex.
The Diocese says it believes all the banned measures are against “the common good of society.”
Its stance is that the diagnosis of gender dysphoria does not merit the alteration of one’s body.
The guide adds that students with identity issues are entitled to receive unconditional love and support as well as psychological and pastoral care.
The policy applies to all Church students, employees and volunteers in the dicocese’s 80 parishes and 17 schools.
It’s likely to face legal challenges in the strongly Republican state.
