WOKE: BYU Students Protest University Over Longstanding LGBTQ Policy
Matt Travis
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Brigham Young University (BYU) dropped a section of their code of conduct concerning LGBTQ realtionships within the student body. This section banned “all forms of physical intimacy that give expression to homosexual feelings.”
Many on campus who identify as LGBTQ were celebrating the occasion. Yet, as probably should have been expected, the dropping of this section was not meant to allow same sex relationships on campus.
BYU clarified in a letter on Wednesday saying, “same-sex romantic behavior cannot lead to eternal marriage and is therefore not compatible with the principles included in the Honor Code.”
Despite BYU students knowing full well (probably before they ever applied) that the Universtity is an explicitly Mormon institution, LGBTQ students and those who support them were outraged.
Many students protested the lack of reversal of the longstanding policy.
Addison Jenkins said BYU “does not care…about queer people.” Another student, Tiauna Lomax, objected to the Univerisity’s clarification saying, “I thought BYU cared about me.”
Some students held signs at the protest expressing similar grievances. One sign said, “Love One Another,” presumably referencing to the bible verse John 13:34-35. Another sign said, “love means love,” a common LGBTQ pride slogan.
Additionally, students who showed up to object to the protesting of the schools policy were shouted down. The protesters used chants like “Love, not hate, will make BYU great!” to keep the counter protesters from being heard.
The idea that BYU hates LGBTQ students, or that the school is being unloving or uncaring, is not in-line with the Unversity’s stated intent. In fact, the University has encouaged the exact opposite of hate towards LGBTQ students.
In a question and answer session about the clarification letter, Kevin Utt (director of BYU’s Honor Code Office) said,
“We realize that emotions over the last two weeks cover the spectrum and that some have and will continue to feel isolation and pain. We encourage all members of our campus community to reach out to those who are personally affected with sensitivity, love and respect.”
BYU is a private instution whose code of conduct is directly tied to the Church of Latter Day Saints’ (the Mormon church). This means that it is a private, religious institution.
Therefore, the University is clearly protected by the first amendment. They don’t neccessarily need to worry about a legal case being made against them.
Even without the threat of a legal case, though, students have insisted that the school hates gays. This assumption of hate has obviously not gone well for them in the press.
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