Students stand up for gender expression rights

Yesterday, high school students at Sacred Heart Cathedral Prepatory (SCHP) School stood with Jessica Urbina – a high school senior whose picture was pulled from the yearbook for wearing a tuxedo. Female students are required to wear “drapes” in yearbook photos in San Francisco Archdiocesan schools.

As one bow-tied student told NBC Bay Area today, “They teach us in Catholic school to be who we are and accept everybody, so that’s what we’re doing.” 

And the school listened. By the end of the day, SHCP announced that they will revise this policy. In their statement, they write: “Our students have risen in support of each other and the principles central to our community. We are proud of their leadership and thoughtful effort to affect change.”

The young Catholics of CTA 20/30 stand with Jessica and the high school activists who called their school to be an affirming and safe place for all its students. We celebrate an inclusive and joyful vision of church – a beloved community in which all people are free to express their identities as they choose.

Find out how to join the campaign with your own selfie on our Young Adult Catholics blog!