Identity As Criteria

Paul Scalia, a priest of the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia and chaplain of the Arlington chapter of Courage, makes an interesting observation in the current issue of First Things. His comments are in the context of school organizations identifying children by their sexual orientation:

"The child is lovable, and is loved. That love, more than anything else, instills in adolescents the trust and confidence they need to struggle with whatever painful and saddening realities they face.

"Difficulties arise when the child insists on being accepted and loved not as a person but as a 'gay,' 'homosexual,' or 'other' - when he wants to be loved according to that label. Clearly this situation ... requires parents to insist continually that, no, their child is not just the sum of his sexual attractions, that they can love their child while rejecting some of their actions.

"Adolescents need to hear precisely this: People's sexual inclinations do not determine their identity."

While Fr. Scalia is specifically addressing sexual orientation, his thinking applies much more broadly, for example regarding race or ethnicity. This labeling divides and ultimately reduces a person's humanity to mere criteria; emphasizing certain criterion and reducing others. If the chosen criteria are not recognized then those holding the criteria see themselves reduced; second class citizens.

It is their clinging to a set of criteria as their identity which ultimately reduces their humanity.

I will include a link to the article, if and when, First Things places the article on their website.

Update (7/23/2005): First Things has indeed provided a link to this article, A Label that Sticks.