Human Dignity Initiative

A Pastoral and Moral Approach to Gender Ideology

Register now for the 3rd Human Dignity Initiative Workshop!

March 21 | 9 AM - 2 PM | Bonfils Hall | $10/Person

Register for the Spanish workshop below.

March 22 | 9 AM - 2 PM | Bonfils Hall | $10/Person

This workshop will be the same as the one on March 21 but presented in Spanish!

The EFLM team has fielded many requests to provide more substantial training and resources to assist our pastoral leaders in navigating the sensitive and complex issues around gender ideology, same sex attraction/”marriage”, and the secular narratives on the human person. In an effort to combine both a very approachable philosophic/theological background and practical training in how to address pastoral circumstances, the EFLM will be launching the “Human Dignity Initiative” in 2024. This initiative will comprise multiple components:

four, day-long workshops throughout 2024
a comprehensive list of resources in both Spanish and English supporting the Catholic Church’s teachings on these topics
and opportunities for discussion groups.

Listed below are a variety of different resources to aid you in learning more about the Catholic Church’s teaching on these topics. If you have questions or concerns please reach out to our office at office.eflm@archden.org or 303-715-3178.

We have also created a page with helpful resources in Spanish on a separate page. Use the link below!

Rewatch the Workshops Here!Recursos en Español

Same Sex Attraction: A Parent’s Guide

John F. Osfs Harvey and Gerard V. Bradley

Drawing on the best insights from biology, psychology, and philosophy, Ryan Anderson offers a nuanced view of human embodiment, a balanced approach to public policy on gender identity, and a sober assessment of the human costs of getting human nature wrong.

Made this Way: How to Prepare Kids to Face Today’s tough Moral Issues

Liela Miller and Trent Horn

This book gives parents crucial tools and techniques to form children with the understanding they need—appropriate to their age and maturity level—to meet the world’s challenges.

When Harry Became Sally

Ryan T. Anderson

Male, Female, or Other

Jason Evert

In Male, Female, Other? Jason Evert addresses the most common claims of gender theory and shows how to respond with charity and clarity.

The Genesis of Gender

Abigail Favale, Ph.D.

Weaving personal experience with expert knowledge, Dr. Abigail Favale provides an in-depth yet accessible account of the gender paradigm: a framework for understanding reality and identity that has recently risen to prominence.

Awake, Not Woke

Noelle Mering

With a wit and clarity that both exposes the absurd and mourns the brokenness of our culture, Noelle Mering provides answers to such questions as: Why does tolerance seem to only go in one direction? How does the ideology create enemies, eroding friendship across the sexes and races?

Loving God’s Children

John J. Bursch

John Bursch helps explain what the Catholic Church teaches about the human person and why modern culture’s embrace of “gender ideology” is not only wrong but terribly dangerous for parents and families, female athletes, medical professionals — and especially those experiencing gender confusion. Drawing from Church documents and extensive scientific research, Bursch answers numerous questions that confront Catholics living in a culture that promotes gender fluidity.

Emerging Gender Identities

Mark Yarhouse and Julia Sadusky

This book offers a measured Christian response to the diverse gender identities that are being embraced by an increasing number of adolescents. Mark Yarhouse and Julia Sadusky offer an honest, scientifically informed, compassionate, and nuanced treatment for pastors, church leaders, parents, family members, youth workers, and counselors.

Gender Identity and Faith

Mark Yarhouse and Julia Sadusky

Gender Identity and Faith is a resource for mental health professionals to help people who wish to take seriously their gender identity, their religious identity, and the relationship between the two. Drawing from their extensive research and experience with clients, Mark Yarhouse and Julia Sadusky provide a timely, practical resource for practitioners.

Transcending Gender Ideology

Antonio Bursch

Human sexuality is a very important subject, especially in a cultural context such as ours, in which social and work transformations offer behavioral models that are characterized by a remarkable sexual indeterminacy. In Transcending Gender Ideology, Antonio Malo tries to rethink sexuality with equilibrium and intellectual rigor, using a philosophical approach, since sexuality does not only affect biological aspects or social conditioning, but above all the same essence of the relationship between man and woman.

Dr. Susan Selner-Wright, Ph.D.

Her specialty is the metaphysical thought of St. Thomas Aquinas. She is the author of the Endow study guides, St. Thomas for Beginners I and II as well as a number of articles in professional journals. Her most important academic work is an edition and translation of Thomas Aquinas’ De potentia Dei, Q. 3, published by Catholic University of America Press under the title, On Creation.

Jason Evert

Jason Evert is a nationally acclaimed and award-winning Catholic author and speaker. He founded Totus Tuus Press and Chastity Project, an organization that promotes chastity primarily to high school and college students.

Abigail Favale, Ph.D.

Abigail Favale, Ph.D., is a writer and professor in the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame. She has an academic background in gender studies and feminist literary criticism, and now writes and teaches on topics related to women and gender from a Catholic perspective.

Mary Hasson, JD

Mary Rice Hasson, J.D., is the Kate O’Beirne Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C., where she co-founded and directs the Person and Identity Project, an initiative that educates and equips parents and faith-based institutions to promote the truth about the human person and counter gender ideology.

Ryan T Anderson, Ph.D.

Ryan T. Anderson, Ph.D., is the President of the Ethics and Public Policy Center. He is the author or co-author of five books, including the just-released Tearing Us Apart: How Abortion Harms Everything and Solves Nothing. Previous books include When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment, Truth Overruled: The Future of Marriage and Religious Freedom, What Is Marriage? Man and Woman: A Defense, and Debating Religious Liberty and Discrimination.

Dr. Paul Hruz

Paul W. Hruz, M.D. Ph.D. is an academic pediatric endocrinologist (hormone specialist) and tenured physician scientist with faculty appointments in both Pediatrics and Cellular Biology and Physiology. Dr. Hruz has over 20 years of clinical experience in caring for children with disorders of sexual development. He has received certification in Healthcare Ethics from the National Catholic Bioethics Center and is a regular contributor to his University’s course on Research Ethics for graduate students.

Julia Sadusky

Julia Sadusky (PsyD, Regent University) is an author, speaker, and licensed psychologist. She owns Lux Counseling and Consulting in Littleton, CO., where she offers individual, family, and couples therapy in addition to consultations for individuals and families around sexuality and gender. She also serves as a youth and ministry educator, offering trainings and consultations to counseling centers and faith-based institutions on sexuality, gender identity, mental health, trauma-informed care, and the intersection of sexuality, gender, and theology

Person and Identity Project

Their mission is to assist the Catholic Church in promoting the Catholic vision of the human person and responding to the challenges of gender ideology. Gender ideology has permeated the culture with stunning speed, influencing medicine, business, media, entertainment, government and education.

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Changed Movement

CHANGED was birthed in response to California legislation that discriminated against Christians with an LGBTQ background. Proponents of AB2943 claimed that no one overcomes same-sex sexuality or gender confusion, so Ken Williams and Elizabeth Woning decided to speak out. To bring awareness, they published dozens of stories like theirs in a book entitled “CHANGED: Oncegay Stories” to share with civic leaders in California.

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Chastity Project

Jason Evert, and his my wife, Crystalina, started Chastity Project to help teens and young adults discover why chastity makes you free to love. We are made for authentic love – love that involves a total, lifelong giving of self. It’s this kind of love alone that satisfies the depths of the human heart!

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The Center for Faith, Sexuality, and Gender

The Center for Faith, Sexuality & Gender seeks to address two primary needs in the church. One, to help leaders cultivate a more robust biblical ethic of marriage, sexuality and gender. Two, to help churches and organizations create a safe and compassionate environment for LGBT+ people, their families, and anyone wrestling with their sexuality or gender identity.

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USCCB – Gender Ideology Resources

The following document contains select excerpts from various sources are intended to provide some information (not exhaustive) in the area of “gender theory”/“gender ideology” and may be helpful for educational purposes in the pastoral and public policy context.

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Overcome Ministry

Founder, Kim Zember, created Overcome Ministry to be an outlet of loce and hope for adults with same-sex attraction. She has been a guest on a number of podcasts and Youtube series such as Ascension Press, Pints with Aquinas, the Jackie and Bobby Show, and more!

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ARC

The Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) is an international community with a vision for a better world where every citizen can prosper, contribute and flourish. We are inviting you to join us in developing a better narrative in response to life’s most fundamental social, economic, philosophical and cultural questions.

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Eden Invitation

Eden Invitation creates space to receive the whole person, grow systems of mutual support, and empower for creative discipleship. We are disciples with LGBTQ+ experiences, building community with others who desire a way of life in congruence with Christ and His Church.

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Ethics and Public Policy Center

Founded in 1976, the Ethics and Public Policy Center is Washington, D.C.’s premier institute working to apply the riches of the Jewish and Christian traditions to contemporary questions of law, culture, and politics, in pursuit of America’s continued civic and cultural renewal.

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Do No Harm

Do No Harm represents physicians, nurses, medical students, patients, and policymakers focused on keeping identity politics out of medical education, research, and clinical practice.

We believe in making healthcare better for all – not undermining it in pursuit of a political agenda. Do No Harm seeks to highlight and counteract divisive trends in medicine, such as “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” and youth-focused gender ideology.

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University of St. Thomas Graduate Certificate in Sexuality and Gender

This part-time program is designed to be flexible for working professionals and is available anywhere. Our four-course sequence begins with online classes in Catholic anthropology, the history of gender, and the science and social science of gender and sexuality. The final course, applying what has been learned, will help students integrate the knowledge they have gained and apply it to their particular areas of expertise. Students may begin the program at any time and finish at their own pace.

Enroll Today

Sophia Teachers

Responding to Transgender Ideology

Sophia Teachers has consulted with thousands of teachers and experts around the country and developed resources you can trust to address these issues. Resources that provide the theological, cultural, legal, and practical formation they need to effectively address the problem. This resource includes: A FREE video series to help you answer difficult questions with love and truth, FREE K-12 eLessons that teach the beauty of the human person, and so much more!

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Courage International

Encounter Christ. Discover yourself. Grow in holiness. Whether you experience same-sex attractions and are committed to following the Church’s teaching on chastity, or you have a family member or loved one who identifies as LGBT, you are not alone. Join our global Courage and EnCourage family and discover a chapter near you.

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