Father James Martin Encourages Support for LGBTQ Community

SHU has a long history of supporting its LGBTQ students

Renowned Jesuit priest James Martin, an advocate for LGBTQ Catholics, recently spoke virtually with Sacred Heart University students, faculty and friends about connecting with the LGBTQ community. The talk, which kicked off the Center for Catholic Studies Spring Speaker Series, drew more than 1,200 viewers from Sacred Heart and beyond.

Martin is editor-at-large for America magazine and a New York Times best-selling author. In 2017, Pope Francis appointed him as a consultant to the Vatican’s communication division because of his outreach with LGBTQ Catholics. He also received an honorary degree from Sacred Heart University in 2010.

Martin’s lecture, “Building a Bridge,” focused on ways Catholic colleges can respond to the needs of LGBTQ students. He began with a true story of a Muslim student from Africa who attended a Catholic college in the United States. She became involved with her campus ministry and came out as a lesbian at a campus ministry retreat. Later in the semester, she contemplated suicide. The campus ministry members saved her life.

“Would all campus ministries have afforded her such acceptance, even if there weren’t a suicide crisis that was presenting itself?” Martin asked. “Would all have reached out to her as Jesus asks us to do, with love, mercy and compassion?” At the heart of his message, he said, “is something that we Jesuits call cura personalis, which means ‘care for the whole person’ … These students bring joy, energy and life to our world, our Church and our campuses.”

He discussed best practices that colleges and universities should adopt to support their LGBTQ students, starting with granting all students their dignity. Martin quoted a dean as saying colleges and universities should be at the forefront of “affirming the humanity and dignity of their LGBTQ members,” including students, staff, faculty, alumni and others.

Suicide rate is higher in LGBTQ youth

Martin cited statistics from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services that indicate lesbian, gay and bisexual youth contemplate suicide almost three times more than straight youth and are five times more likely to have attempted suicide. He said 40% of transgender adults have considered suicide, 92% of them before they turned 25.

He also noted that 85% of LGBTQ students ages 8 to 18 have experienced verbal harassment, 58% have felt unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation and 43% have felt unsafe because of their gender identity. Statistics also show that 54% of transgender students have been verbally harassed and 24% have been physically attacked. For 17% of transgender students, treatment was so bad they left school.

Martin believes the fundamental question is whether LGBTQ students feel safe at school. “In the Catholic intellectual tradition, we have to remember that LGBT issues are also life issues,” he said.

He suggested colleges and universities welcome LGBTQ programs, youth groups and centers, pointing out that college years are a time when people grow and discover themselves. “This is especially the case for LGBT youth, who are not only discovering their identity and navigating relationships with their parents and families, but also hoping to discover their own value. Outreach programs help them to do this,” Martin said.

At SHU, the Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) has been welcoming  LGBTQ students and allies for more than 20 years. The student-led organization provides programs and events “that promote a diverse and accepting environment and works to make Sacred Heart University a better place for students, no matter their sexual orientation.”

Sacred Heart has a long history of accepting and supporting its LGBTQ community, in line with Martin’s philosophy. “Jesus didn’t reject people, and neither do we,” said Rev. Sara Smith, Sacred Heart’s Protestant chaplain. Smith, an ordained Christian minister for 25 years, has been out as a lesbian more than 30 years. “Come and discover a place that is open and affirming of all students at SHU, including LGBTQ+. Your SHU campus ministry office is a safe place where you will find warmth, acceptance, fun, spirituality and a message of love. Hear this, Pioneers: You are created by God the way you are and you are loved by God the way you are.”   

The Rev. Smith is available to help SHU’s LGBTQ students who are struggling or depressed. She can be reached at ReverendSaraSmith@gmail.com or by phone at 203-450-1185.

Photo: Catholic Studies Professor Jillian Plummer and Father James Martin