Social media and major news outlets were consumed with the story of a preliminary women’s boxing round in Paris yesterday. Angela Carini of Italy bowed out of her fight against Imane Khelif of Algeria after less than a minute of boxing. 

The story was not about Carini’s quick loss but about her opponent, Khelif, who failed a gender eligibility test for the 2023 World Championships. Khelif had high levels of testosterone and XY chromosomes. By now, you have probably heard of the story. Khelif does not identify as transgender and has competed in women’s boxing for years. 

The details of this particular story are not new. Catholics must come to grips with and confront the growing normalcy of gender identity in the culture while remaining true to Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church. Growing numbers of organizations are promoting gender identity and championing the cause as a move for equality. 

More school districts are also creating policies for children who suffer from gender dysphoria. Even this past July, the state of California issued a new law that wouldn’t require school staff to notify parents if their child had decided to change his or her gender identification. Unfortunately, those who are against such promotions have been and will be deemed bigots. 

When the world watches a biological male compete against a biological female in the Olympics, there appears to be much more clarity on the topic of transgenderism, as this physically taxing sport illustrates the clear sexual difference. 

This is what the Catholic Church, and all disciples, must lead the discussion with. There is no place for followers of Christ to demean Khelif or others who compete in such a way. We are not asked to belittle people, but to speak the truth in love. We do this by becoming more clear with our language and by reflecting on the nature of the Christian faith itself. 

First, we must preach the truth that men and women are equal but different. Human beings are created male and female. Early childhood science classes can reveal to kids that boys and girls are different. We are made for each other and we need each other. The unification of one man and one woman in the marital act shows this with our bodies. However, we are also in need of each other because we can tend to think and approach things differently. In God’s infinite wisdom, he makes humanity with two sexes in order to foster communion and force us to see that we need others in this life. 

The cause to promote transgenderism within the prism of “equality” is mistaken. Men and women are equal. What the movement truly desires is for men and women to be seen as the same beings, and that is biologically illogical. To state that two beings are different isn’t a stance of bigotry but scientific fact. 

There is too much involved with gender dysphoria, medically, psychologically and spiritually, to discuss fully here, but, Pope Francis has repeatedly spoken out against gender ideology, including this spring, when he stressed: “The life of the human being is a vocation,” and “man and woman are created by God and are the image of the Creator.” 

Ultimately, we must remember that the Christian faith is ultimately a rescue mission for our hearts. 

God comes to save us from our brokenness and our sin. 

Our flaws and shortcomings don’t overwhelm him. They don’t scare him either. 

We should never verbally attack an individual who struggles with gender identity or with those who champion its cause as a human-rights issue. Smearing others will not bring about conversions, and it too often ends the conversation rather than opening it up for renewal. It can also lead us to falsely think that we don’t need to be rescued from our own sinfulness. 

So, in the midst of the latest headlines, we should share what the Church teaches about male and female. 

And we continue to walk side by side with Jesus Christ as we call others to follow him — the Way, the Truth and the Life — more closely.