Notre Dame university website celebrates ‘Pride Month’

Washington D.C., Jun 9, 2021 / 11:02 am (CNA).

The website of the University of Notre Dame has a feature post celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride on its diversity and inclusion page this month. 

“Pride Month is observed each June in the United States in commemoration of the Stonewall Uprising. The month is also a time to recognize the contributions of LGBTQ+ Americans and raise awareness about efforts for equal justice and equal opportunity for the LGBTQ+ community,” the post stated. 

As of Wednesday morning, the university’s media relations staff did not reply to CNA’s multiple requests for comment. The university’s campus ministry office told CNA that it was not aware of any plans for an initiative honoring the Sacred Heart in the month of June.

The Stonewall Uprising of 1969 began when New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club located in the city. The raid led to six days of violent protests outside the bar and in neighboring areas. 

Notre Dame’s Pride post also included a PBS series link for users to learn more about the Stonewall Uprising, featuring a collection of videos.

Some of the videos include an explanation of three generations of same-sex relationships in Western culture, interviews of people identifying as LGBTQ+ answering the question “when did you become gay,” a documentary on the Stonewall uprising, and more clips “that explore the LGBTQ+ experience in the United States and around the world.”

The university’s Pride post also encourages people “to explore what it means to be an ally in the effort to achieve equality for all” by offering resources from the pro-LGBT group Human Rights Campaign. Those resources consist of explanations of different sexual identities, ways to affirm those who identify as LGBTQ+, and more.

In the Human Rights Campaign “For People of Faith” section, it states, “If you come from a religious background that teaches that non-straight sexual orientations or gender variance are wrong or immoral, look back to your texts and history and take time to learn from people of faith who have become allies because of their faith, not despite it.”

One of the religious resources offered by the campaign is a post titled “What Does The Bible Say About Homosexuality?” While the post cites the Book of Genesis in claiming that “God began by creating human beings of male and female sex,” it adds, “there is nothing that indicates in Scripture that God only created this binary.”

The page argues that “Christians have a moral imperative to reconsider their interpretation of what the Bible says about LGBTQ identities.”

Notre Dame’s Pride post also referenced President Joe Biden’s June 1 proclamation for “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Pride Month. 

“Pride is both a jubilant communal celebration of visibility and a personal celebration of self-worth and dignity,” the post read, quoting Biden’s statement.

Biden, a Catholic, also called on Congress to pass the Equality Act. The Equality Act would extend federal civil rights protections to sexual orientation and gender identity, where race is currently protected. 

The legislation also prevents religious freedom claims from being made by individuals and groups under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). The landmark 1993 law has been invoked by many as a defense against various government mandates, but the Equality Act would override those religious freedom protections.  

The U.S. bishops’ conference has warned that the Equality Act could be used to “punish” religious groups which do not recognize same-sex “marriage” and transgender ideologies.