De La Salle University has long prided itself on being a safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community, supporting events like Animo Pride, establishing the Lasallian Center for Inclusion, Diversity, and Well-Being, combating discrimination through the Safe Spaces Policy, and adopting a dress code that honors self-expression.
However, it was not always this inclusive, especially with DLSU’s origins as a male-only Christian school situated in a religiously conservative country like the Philippines. Certain members of Christian communities have questioned the University’s piety, claiming that its inclusivity initiatives contradict its Catholic principles.
A question that is often asked is, “Is DLSU even Catholic anymore?” To explore this tension between doctrine and expression, The LaSallian spoke with the faculty of the Department of Theology and Religious Education (DTRE) and a queer student who actively practices the Catholic faith.
Under the Lasallian mission
At DLSU, the inclusion of the LGBTQIA+ community does not contradict the Lasallian mission—it fulfills it.
“Allowing students to express their identities through events like Animo Pride or to choose their pronouns on AnimoSpace does not signal a departure from Catholic values,” wrote various faculty members of the DTRE, led by Chair Dr. Dorothy Javier-Martinez, in a collective statement to The LaSallian.
They describe the Lasallian Catholic identity as “dynamic” with an emphasis on the spirit of “accompaniment,” which entails embracing the dignity of all persons, including the identities of the queer community. The department adds that accompaniment begins with recognizing people’s theophany, which refers to their visible revelations of God’s presence.
In the DTRE faculty’s perspective, “Pride celebrations affirm the inherent worth of human persons,” and through accompaniment, the University can embrace its queer members.
While acknowledging that the Catholic Church cannot endorse every aspect of Pride, they emphasize that it nevertheless echoes Catholic teachings about the inherent dignity of the human person and Jesus’ compassion for the marginalized. “Adaptation does not mean abandoning truth; it means incarnating the Gospel anew in each generation.”
Carlo Bautista (V, AB-LIMCW) attests to this welcoming attitude of DLSU toward the LGBTQIA+ community, which he says saw him for his potential. “I’m always seen for what I bring to the table…beyond my sexuality,” he shares. Before this, he recalled that he felt conflicts with this growing fervor for the Catholic faith and the affirmation of his sexuality.
To Bautista, allowing people to embrace both their sexuality and Catholic faith is a natural part of its Lasallian mission to “teach minds, touch hearts, and transform lives,” because, as Bautista puts it, “a student cannot transform [others] if they cannot find out who they are.”
Evolving with doctrine
Catholic inclusivity toward the queer community typically provokes debate rooted in biblical interpretation. Yet, the DTRE explains that many passages that are frequently cited against the LGBTQIA+ community reflect ancient cultural norms instead of divine mandates.
The faculty views greater inclusivity in Catholic expression more as a natural progression of doctrine than a contradiction: “Catholic expression lives in dynamic tension between evolving cultural norms and the Gospel imperative to love in truth.”
Both the DTRE and Bautista stated that while the Bible remains foundational to the faith, it must be read with humility and mercy; scholarly guidance; attention to circumstances; and in a manner that aligns with the narrative of God’s liberation so that followers are not misguided in their interpretations.
The department faculty turns to phrase it this way: “Rather than weaponizing isolated verses, we should ask: Does this interpretation lead to greater love, justice, and human flourishing?”
In this light, they affirm that religion always engages culture and that Catholic expression evolves with the times, citing a declaration by the Second Vatican Council—an infallible ecumenical council of the Catholic Church—that said the Church must “read the signs of the times in light of the Gospel.”
Meanwhile, Bautista believes that Catholic law is always tempered with mercy and that inclusivity is a part of the Catholic Church. He recounts knowing individuals from the gay community joining and feeling accepted in various Catholic organizations in DLSU, emphasizing that discrimination against them would only alienate and weaken the faith community.
He assures queer people who are hesitant with the faith that they are loved in tune with the experience of Christ, where they can reflect on their suffering to understand what Jesus went through and, in turn, build a connection with Him that is unfazed by rejection. “[Christ] understands what you’re going through…your isolation, your abandonment,” Bautista allays.
The University sees itself continuing its approach to inclusivity. According to the DTRE, “[DLSU strives] to be a community where faith and reason, tradition and transformation walk together in pursuit of a more just and compassionate world, for the love of God and the good of the people entrusted to us.”
In communities beyond the campus walls, this reality may not always exist. However, Bautista believes one’s grounding remains the same, and in the likeness of the Creator. As Bautista puts it: “You are a child of God before anything else, and no one can touch that identity.”
This article was published in The LaSallian‘s October 2025 issue. To read more, visit bit.ly/TLSOct2025.
