Course•For Principals

Freeing Your School of Gender Ideology

The speed with which gender ideology has spread is head-spinning. If yours is like most Catholic schools, it snuck under the door unnoticed, and now you’re left wondering what to do.

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format

Self-paced, online

Time

2 hours per week session

cost

$199.00

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Table of content

What You'll Get

8 hours of in-depth instruction and discussionAn understanding of gender ideology, science, and Church teaching Concrete support for crafting school policies that align with a Catholic schools' mission and identity and existing diocesan policiesLifetime access to recordings and course materials

Course Overview

Current Status

Not Enrolled

Price

$200.00

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In this practical four-part series, you’ll learn everything you need to know about gender ideology and how to remove it from your school.

The course is broken up into four 1.5 hour videos to teach you the facts about gender dysphoria, transgender identification, and the psycho-social, medical, and surgical interventions that are performed to align the appearance of the body with self-determined identity.

In this course, you’ll…

learn to defend with science the Church’s teaching on the dignity of the person, as well as the medical ethics of so-called “gender-affirming care.”
understand the meaning of true accompaniment for vulnerable persons and how to help those who are suffering.
receive concrete support for school policies that align with Catholic schools’ mission and identity, and a pastoral approach to the school community.

Course Content

How Cultural Opinions Contradict Science and Faith

We will trace the history of the transgender movement and explore the science of sexual dimorphism: why sex is binary, reflected in every cell of the body, and cannot change. You’ll learn about cultural influences ranging from social media algorithms to the policies of nearby institutions regarding self-identified sex – and how these influences affect your school community.

Clash of Anthropologies

We will explore the differences between Christian anthropology and gender ideology, demonstrating how science supports the Catholic view of human nature in which human beings are created in the image and likeness of God with an inherent dignity and purpose. We will also soundly debunk the idea that gender is a social construction and is self-determined along a spectrum of gender identities. As part of this, we’ll discuss how these conflicting approaches impact children and why “transgendered” children are not sinful, but are misled.

Beware How the Medical Establishment Treats Children

We’ll look deeply at the reality and injuries of “gender-affirming care,” ranging from psycho-social interventions (use of different pronouns, opposite-sex clothing), to hormonal, drug, and surgical interventions. You’ll hear from those who have “de-transitioned” and how their distress was treated, and learn facts about the risk of suicide for transgender-identified youth. Finally, learn about effective treatments for identity or body-related distress.

Securing Your School’s Culture, Mission, and Identity

Here we’ll focus on what you can do to ensure that your school is grounded in truth, yet fulfills its mission in a charitable way. You’ll learn how other Catholic schools have successfully engaged parents, teachers, and students on this controversial topic. You’ll also explore the “golden window” time frame, see modeled answers to common questions, and learn how to ensure that your school is fully protected legally.

Your Instructors

John Bursch

John Bursch served as solicitor general for the state of Michigan from 2011-2013. He also worked for a large Michigan law firm and for his own appellate boutique, representing Fortune 500 companies, foreign and domestic governments, top public officials, and industry associations in high-profile cases, primarily on appeal. He currently serves as senior counsel and vice president of appellate advocacy with Alliance Defending Freedom. Bursch has argued 12 U.S. Supreme Court cases and three dozen state supreme court cases, and he has successfully litigated six matters with at least $1 billion at stake. A recent study concluded that among all frequent Supreme Court advocates who did not work for the federal government, he had the 3rd highest success rate for persuading justices to adopt his legal position.
Jose Gonzalez

Jose Gonzalez joined the team at Sophia Institute for Teachers in 2014 after more than 10 years as a Catholic high school teacher. In addition to teaching, Jose has experience working in parish and diocesan ministry. Jose has been leading Workshops in over 70 dioceses for 10 years, and contributes regularly to our teacher’s guides and digital instructional resources. He has a BA in theology with a concentration in religious education from Franciscan University of Steubenville, and an MA in evangelization and catechesis from the Augustine Institute. Jose and his wife, Mary Beth, have four children.
Monica Ashour

Holding two Masters from the University of Dallas—one in Theological Studies and one in Humanities—Monica Ashour is an international speaker, author of 28 books, and President and Director of Content Creation for the Theology of the Body Evangelization Team (TOBET). She was also named by the Catholic National Register as one of the top six speakers on Saint John Paul’s Theology of the Body. In May 2015, Miss Ashour was a participant for an ad hoc committee in Washington DC for the Pontifical Council for the Family, and presented a talk “Teaching TOB to Teens” at the Theology of the Body International Symposium in Rome. She was also a participant in the International Summit on Lay Leadership with Cardinal Arinze in Rome. Before becoming an international speaker, Monica served as a campus minister at St. Mary’s Catholic Church of Texas A&M University from 1996 to 1999. Before and after her stint at St. Mary’s, Monica enjoyed 20 years teaching theology and literature in grade school and high school classrooms. Monica was the recipient of Cardinal Farrell’s 2008 Pro-Life Award for Civic Action and was named to the Hall of Fame for her alma mater, Nolan Catholic High School in Ft. Worth.
James Melone

James Melone serves as the Head of School for Saint Patrick Academy, an independent Catholic school serving PreK-3 through 8th grade students in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. James has dedicated 17 years to Catholic education and is a product of Catholic education himself. James grew up in Massachusetts and attended Saint Anselm College as an undergraduate. He earned his Master's in Education from the University of Notre Dame and his doctoral degree from Creighton University. Prior to starting at Saint Patrick Academy, James worked as a teacher and administrator at Catholic schools in California and Texas.