At least three Catholic higher education institutions in different states have bared their plans to offer students gender-inclusive board and lodging.
According to a Catholic News Agency (CNA) report, Saint Mary's College of California, plus Fairfield University and Sacred Heart University in Connecticut, have announced their adoption of housing policies that would 'satisfy' Title IX provisions.
What the New 'Gender-Inclusive' Housing Policies Mean
The same article explained that the three institutions for higher learning said they would offer students heterosexual housing.
The Fairfield, Conn.-based Sacred Heart University said its gender-inclusive housing program would provide "two or more students [who] mutually agree to live in a gender-inclusive, multiple-occupancy bedroom, suite, or apartment."
Its website explained that the university's gender-inclusive housing service is part of its 'commitment to offering safe and secure living conditions' to university students.
The post clarified that the university administration would not force students to divulge their reason for choosing the said housing option.
The CNA article added that Sacred Heart University would not inform parents about the students' choice of pairing with a roommate of the opposite sex.
On the possibility of two romantically-involved students choosing to share a room, the university explained that the administration "strongly advises against" it.
Meanwhile, the university said it has a mediation process when a problem forms between the students sharing a room.
If the mediation did not work, the university would move students concerned to other rooms that meet their needs.
The Sacred Heart University website also said it has all-gender restroom provisions on its campus. However, it declined to offer an explanation when CNA sought a comment.
Other Higher Ed Institutions with Gender-Inclusive Housing
The CNA report said that Fairfield University also offers gender-inclusive housing services to its students.
The Jesuits reportedly run the university.
They cited the Biden administration's Title IX reinterpretation as the basis for its decision to provide the said housing program.
The university administration said it believes it must 'offer transgender students a housing option that aligns with their gender identity.'
This is despite Title IX mentioning the authority of universities to enforce separate housing for male and female students.
The university explained that the gender-inclusive housing program is open to everyone, not just transgender students.
Fairfield University's student newspaper disclosed that the university has been offering gender-inclusive housing to students since 2017.
This means the university had the policy in place even before President Joe Biden entered the White House.
Opposition to the Student Housing Policy
Not all Catholic institutions welcomed the three universities' housing policy for students.
For one, the Cardinal Newman Society President Patrick J. Reilly said that using Title IX to room male and female students together is 'shamefully deceitful.'
"It is distressing that Fairfield University would voluntarily comply with the Biden administration's distortion of Title IX, which directly conflicts with Catholic teaching, especially since Title IX offers a strong exemption for religious colleges. No religious college must obey the administration's transgender rules," Reilly told CNA.
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