Campbell condemns new policy that could bar transgender students from attending Catholic schools

INDIANAPOLIS – State Representative Chris Campbell (D-West Lafayette) joined LGBTQ+ advocates in condemning the “Policy and Norms on Sexual Identity in School Ministry” signed earlier this month by Archbishop Charles C. Thompson. The policy intends to guide schools in central and southern Indiana under the governance of the archdioceses on how to address students who may not conform to traditional, binary gender norms. Under the new guidance, non-binary and transgender students may not be eligible for enrollment.   

Campbell and other LGBTQ+ advocates have long been voicing concerns about discrimination in private schools. Schools governed by the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, and others like them, participate in a state voucher program meaning taxpayer money provides scholarships for attendance at their private schools. 

“I’ve long felt schools receiving public dollars should be required to adhere to the same non-discrimination guidelines as our public schools,” Campbell said. “The Archdiocese of Indianapolis provides governance to 67 schools in Indiana which equates to tens of millions of dollars in state-subsidized funding every year. Money should not be going to schools that discriminate.”

This is not the first time Indiana House Democrats have tried to tackle LGBTQ+ discrimination in private schools. In 2019, Amendment 4 was authored to House Bill 1641 in an attempt to block funding to schools that discriminate on the basis of disability, race, color, gender, gender identity or expression, national origin, religion or ancestry. 

“Unfortunately, House Democrats' attempt to end state-funded discrimination in 2019 failed,” Campbell continued. “However, I was proud to cast a vote for a measure that would have ensured financial consequences for schools that enacted internal legislation like the 'Policy and Norms of Sexual Identity in School Ministry.' As a state legislator, mental health and LGBTQ+ advocate, I'm calling for this issue to be addressed and passed in the 2021 legislative session.”