Freiburg (dpa / lsw) – A prospective religion teacher from Waldshut may teach Catholic religion after his gender reassignment. Theo Schenkel has received an unlimited teaching permit, said a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Freiburg on Wednesday. The SWR had previously reported about it. The 27-year-old came out as a trans man in an ARD documentary. The trainee teacher for religion and French is one of 125 employees of the Catholic Church who came out as queer at the end of January as part of the #OutInChurch campaign and called for a reform of labor law. Gay pastors, lesbian religion teachers, transsexual friars or bisexual community leaders no longer want to keep their sexuality a secret.
The Archdiocese of Freiburg does not want to fundamentally change the labor law for transsexual and homosexual people: it is a case-by-case decision. “Despite or precisely because of his personal situation, Mr. Schenkel has shown a deep identification with the Catholic Church and a personal approach to faith. The Archdiocese of Freiburg is convinced that Mr. Schenkel will also be a personally convincing, authentic religion teacher,” said one Opinion.
Schenkel can thus teach Catholic religious studies at a state school. “The fact that the teaching permit is unlimited means security and commitment for Mr. Schenkel,” said the diocese. If you want to teach the Catholic religion at a state school in the region, you need permission from the archdiocese.
Theo Schenkel welcomed the decision as a sign that people like him could change the church and that the church too could show courage. “In and of itself, of course, I’m relieved that I can teach in the future,” he told dpa. He is also allowed to marry his fiancé now. The problem, however, is that it is an individual decision and others cannot rely on the regulation. It needs a clear basis and not more special ways. “The sign is definitely positive, but the goal of reducing discrimination against queer people in the Catholic Church and in particular in labor law has not yet been achieved.” He hopes that the Catholic Church will eventually fully recognize queer believers like him. A working group of the German bishops is currently revising labor law.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:220406-99-816774/3
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