Trenton Catholic Charities apologizes for sponsoring ‘Beyond the Gender Binary’ book reading | National Catholic Register

Towards the end of the book, the boy is invited to the school dance and appears in a dress.

Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Trenton has apologized for co-sponsoring a children’s storytime this month, which featured a book encouraging children to “move beyond the gender binary.”

“We deeply regret any confusion and pain this may have caused. We are currently investigating what led to our agency’s participation in the book reading. It is important to note that this event took place without the knowledge or approval of Bishop David M. O’Connell (Trenton) CM,” Hollis Painting, a spokeswoman for Catholic Charities, Diocese of Trenton, told CNA.

The book My shadow is purple comes from Scott Stuart, a children’s author who claims on his website that he is “a leading voice in fully accepting and empowering our children just as they are.”

The reading took place on June 17th in the Hamilton Township Public Library in the “Children’s Room.”

Scott Chianese, the library director, told the Daily Wire that Catholic Charities had contacted the library to host the reading and that it was the first event the charity had hosted at the library.

A “local” Catholic father, identified only as “Tom,” told the outlet he was shocked by reading the book.

“We seriously question that this sponsorship is nothing more than a sad example of secularized virtue,” he told the outlet. “I also want the Diocese of Trenton to explain how children can be brought closer to God through ‘removing the gender binary.'”

Boy in dress

The rhyming picture book is about a little boy who says that his “shadow” is different from his mother’s “blue” and “pink” shadows.

“My father has a shadow that is as blue as a berry, and my mother’s is as pink as a cherry blossom. There are only these choices, a 2 or a 1. But mine is completely different, it is both and neither at the same time,” the book says.

Towards the end of the book, the boy is invited to the school dance and arrives wearing a dress. “I’m ready to rock and I feel cute,” the boy says.

When he comes to the dance, the boy feels that he can’t join either the “pink” or the “blue” shadow and is upset that his teacher is forcing him to choose a side.

“If I can’t be purple, I can’t stay,” he said. “I’m going to leave and go home, I say quietly.”

Then, at the dance, the boy meets other students who, like him, have shadows of a different color.

A student says to the boy: “Our shadow can have more than two colors. I was too scared before, but blue is not my thing. From the outside I know that blue fits like a glove, but my shadow is yellow, which feels like love to me.”

The apology

In a statement from Catholic Charities to CNA, Painting said: “Our goal, rooted in our Catholic faith, is to restore dignity and independence to individuals and families in need, especially the poor and vulnerable.”

“We accomplish this through service, advocacy and community building. For over three decades, we have partnered with the New Jersey Department of Children and Families to provide resources to victims of child abuse,” she said.

Painting said Catholic Charities was selected for a federal grant to provide and sponsor “youth mental health initiatives and the prevention of bullying, suicide and substance abuse.”

“On June 17, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Trenton, participated in a book reading at a public library as part of this grant program. We learned that a book was read at this event that addressed a gender-related issue,” she said.

“While this is a vital government program – and Catholic Charities is uniquely qualified to run it – our contract clearly states that we will not manage or host any content that may violate the teachings of the Catholic Church or its values. For such topics, the curriculum must be provided by another community-based mental health organization,” Painting said.

Painting called the treaty “an important boundary,” adding, “We are working to understand how those boundaries were blurred during this event.”

“We are deeply committed to the community and remain focused on serving those in need while ensuring that all future activities are consistent with Catholic values ​​and teachings,” she said.