Garrison-Engbrecht, Anthony

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Conversations on Jesuit Higher EducationVolume 51 Article 13February 2017Amare et Amari (To Love and Be Loved):Supporting LGBTQ StudentsAnthony Garrison-EngbrechtFollow this and additional works at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/conversationsRecommended CitationGarrison-Engbrecht, Anthony (2017) "Amare et Amari (To Love and Be Loved): Supporting LGBTQ Students," Conversations onJesuit Higher Education: Vol. 51 , Article 13.Available at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/conversations/vol51/iss1/1324 CONVERSATIONS ON JESUIT HIGHER EDUCATION                                                                                                                                          The challenge of how to appropriately support lesbian,gay, bisexual, and transgender people has been amongthe most hotly debated topics in recent years, especiallywithin Catholic circles. The church teaches that all arecreated in the image of the one God: all share the samehuman nature and the same divine origin. It also teachesthat, redeemed by the sacrifice of Christ, all are called toshare, as members with equal dignity, in the same unionwith God. LGBTQ individuals must be accepted with re-spect, compassion, and sensitivity, church teaching in-sists, and every sign of unjust discrimination againstthem must be avoided. And yet, even though officialchurch teaching indicates there is nothing sinful aboutbeing homosexual, it also teaches that all unmarried peo-ple – including homosexual, bisexual, and heterosexualpeople – are called to celibacy, a perspective that remainsa source of confusion especially for many homosexualpeople who earnestly seek to build emotionally fulfillingand spiritually healthy same-sex relationships.       Despite the confusion, Pope Francis has modeledwhat a compassionate attitude toward the LGBTQ com-munity might look like and opened the door to moredifficult conversations on our campuses. In an October2014 interview, he famously declared, “We come acrossthis reality all the time in the confessional: a father anda mother whose son or daughter is in that situation. Wehave to find a way to help that father or that mother tostand by their son or daughter.” On several subsequentoccasions, he has reiterated his desire to supportLGBTQ people, effectively bringing about a shift in“tone” regarding LGBTQ issues within the church.Though never contradicting the church’s official oppo-sition to LGBT relationships nor its description of same-sex “inclinations” as “objectively disordered,” Francishas projected a notably inclusive pastoral vision forLGBTQ support.       In shifting the tone and modeling an inclusive ap-proach, Pope Francis has created a context in whichmany Jesuit institutions have been able to ask in newand creative ways how they can support their LGBTQstudents. In doing so, a growing number of institutionshave established LGBTQ support offices and built aux-iliary systems aimed at making campus environmentsmore inclusive and welcoming.        Certainly, the tensions between official churchteaching which opposes all homosexual relationshipsand the intellectual and pastoral traditions of Jesuit in-stitutions of higher education can stand in tension withone another. But at their heart, Catholic teaching and Je-suit ministry both enthusiastically affirm and cherishthe dignity of each individual, regardless of age, culture,faith, ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, lan-guage, disability, or social class. They also affirm a styleof inclusive excellence which invites all to participate incommunities where they are equally respected. Both thelarger Catholic heritage and more specific Jesuit tradi-tion within that heritage thus privilege attentive, reflec-tive behaviors which can allow for the holistic supportof all students.        A growing number of Jesuit institutions have thusattempted to creatively address the challenge of pro-moting Catholic teaching and affirming LGBTQ stu-dents by drawing connections between the Catholictradition and the care for students as whole persons.Maintaining fidelity to Catholic principles by attendingto the needs – social, spiritual, and intellectual – of stu-dents thus becomes a key justification and foundationfor LGBTQ support initiatives. Further, many Jesuit in-stitutions have elected to affirm the intellectual explo-ration of issues of gender and sexuality as a means offostering campus conversations about issues of humandignity and social justice. By promoting deep discussionAmare et Amari(to love and be loved)Supporting LGBTQ StudentsBy Anthony Garrison-EngbrechtMy dear people, let us love oneanother since love comes fromGod and everyone who loves isbegotten by God and knows God.Anyone who fails to love cannever have known God, becauseGod is love. (John 4:7-8)1Garrison-Engbrecht: Amare et Amari (To Love and Be Loved): Supporting LGBTQ StudentsPublished by e-Publications@Marquette, 2017                                                                                                                                                                                                               25and discernment, such initiatives can help to navigatethe tensions and highlight the difference between a the-ological perspective that opposes same-sex relationsand pastoral care initiatives that aim to affirm thehuman dignity of all individuals. In sponsoring suchprograms, Jesuit institutions allow for students to havetheir needs and hopes responded to in a way that pro-motes a genuine integration of mind, body, and spirit –a true cura personalis.       Two institutions, among many others, that seek toground their LGBTQ support systems in cura personalisare Georgetown University and Loyola MarymountUniversity. These Jesuit universities wereamong the first to create LGBTQ supportservices, in 2008 and 2010 respectively,and have sought to be dynamic in ad-dressing the needs of LGBTQ students.        Alum and former head of the NationalFootball League Paul J. Tagliabue and hiswife Chandler donated $5 million to sup-port Georgetown’s Tagliabue Initiative forLGBTQ Life: Fostering Formation andTransformation. “The Center is inspired byCatholic and Jesuit principles of respect forthe dignity of all and education of thewhole person. We are very pleased to sup-port its services that provide a safe, inclu-sive and respectful environment forLGBTQ students and promote their ac-ceptance in the entire campus commu-nity,” the Tagliabues said in a statement.Subsequently, the Tagliabue Initiative hasbecome a model for bridging student af-fairs and academic affairs, offering student retreats andfaculty research awards and funding an array of work-shops and conferences on LGBT issues.       Animated by the combined heritage of the Jesuits, theMarymount Sisters, and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Or-ange, Loyola Marymount University likewise seeks to en-courage students’ development as whole persons.Spearheaded by the LGBT Student Services Office, LMUhas focused on creating a welcoming environment for allstudents, including transgender and gender nonconform-ing students. Critical developments in this area have in-cluded adding easily identifiable signage to single-usegender-inclusive restrooms, updating and editing genderlanguage within university communications, and provid-ing trainings and education to faculty, staff, and studentsabout how to be more gender-inclusive. Senior screen-writing major Ian Salazar has experienced these develop-ments as a step forward in ensuring that each studentfeels at home on the LMU campus. “This is big, not justfor LGBTQ students, but for all LMU students. If onegroup feels more included, that will strengthen LMU as awhole,” Salazar said.       As Jesuit institutions work to engage the LGBTQcommunity, they should aim do so as an answer to theircall to support the holistic development of students. En-couraging personal integration of an individual’s think-ing, feeling, and choosing allows for true growth andtransformation. Jesuit institutions focus their efforts onsupporting and encouraging those living on the mar-gins of society and those who have been marginalizedby society. In so doing, each person in our communitiescan be encouraged to grow in faith, hope, and love,which ultimately defines who we are as Jesuit Catholicinstitutions. Anthony Garrison-Engbrecht, a graduate of Loyola Univer-sity in New Orleans and Loyola Marymount University, isDirector of Leadership and LGBT Student Services in theDivision of Student Affairs at Loyola Marymount Univer-sity in Los Angeles.Scranton University students at Chapman’s Lake. 2Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education, Vol. 51, Iss. 1 [2017], Art. 13http://epublications.marquette.edu/conversations/vol51/iss1/13

Amare et Amari (To Love and Be Loved): Supporting LGBTQ Students

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Amare et Amari (To Love and Be Loved): Supporting LGBTQ Students

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