CLC Blog

Something happened recently at the Renfrew County Catholic District School Board (RCCDSB) that is very much non-Catholic and non-Christian.

It was so shocking in fact, that even the National Post, a secular newspaper was surprised and perturbed. The American press has also jumped on the story.

Let me tell you about a 16-year-old student named Josh Alexander.

He’s a Grade 11 Christian student attending St. Joseph’s Catholic High School in Renfrew, Ontario, which is part of the RCCDSB.

On February 6th, his school had him arrested and charged in the wake of Josh protesting the board policy of allowing biological males into girls washrooms and change rooms, expressing in class his religious and natural law belief that “there are only two genders”, and that people “are born either male or female”.

Shouldn’t these be the same beliefs professed by every Catholic school?

The arrest followed a 20-day suspension after organizing a school walkout in November 2022 in support of girls’ rights to access female-only spaces without the presence of male students, and then on February 1st, a permanent suspension for the rest of the year when he attempted to return to class.

Even if this arrest happened at a secular, public school, it would be wrong because it would represent discrimination on the basis of the student’s sincerely held religious beliefs. Religious freedom is a constitutional right, after all.

But that it happened at a Catholic school is doubly disgraceful! Every school in the RCCDSB should be upholding the moral teachings of the Catholic Church, including the teaching that transgender ideology is wrong.

The school board trustees have taken the side of St. Joseph’s Principal, Derek Lennox, and blocked Josh Alexander from being able to appeal his suspension.

This brave teenager deserves the support of all people of good will. 

The RCCDSB is practicing anti-religious discrimination against a Christian student who is actually defending the teaching of the Catholic Church and Sacred Scripture: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”” (Gen 1:27).

In spite of the utter craziness of our times, we must rejoice that God continues to raise up those who call out the wickedness and lies of the devil. Josh is such a young person. He’s standing tall for his Christian beliefs.

With little concern for the persecution that will befall them, these courageous people, like young Josh, are shining a light on the darkness, and calling for a return to God’s moral law.

We invite you to send a message to the RCCDSB Trustees by signing our new petition in support of Josh Alexander. The petition demands that the school board apologize to Josh, that it reinstate his class attendance privileges, and that it changes its bathroom policy so that biological males are no longer allowed to go into girls washrooms.

Please sign our petition by clicking here.

Then, share a video I recorded which gives a quick overview of this shocking situation: