Students at Brigham Young University have gathered to protest the school’s turn about on same-sex relationships. Just weeks after tossing out a university code of conduct rule that banned homosexual relationships, the school released a statement saying that same-sex relationships were still prohibited by the school’s “moral standards.”
SFGate reports that Caroline McKenzie, a 23-year-old bisexual music major, joined in the protest in anger. She’d begun dating a woman not long after BYU changed its so-called “honor code.” Students who engage in homosexual behavior are subject to expulsion.
Related: LGBTQ Rights Groups Ask Big 12 Not To Include BYU Over Discriminatory Policies
“It’s psychologically damaging,” said McKenzie.”It has been a roller coaster the last couple of weeks. This last Wednesday pretty much destroyed me. It felt like I was drowning again.”
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McKenzie joined several hundred protesters outside the headquarters for the Church of Latter-Day Saints, the religious organization which owns Brigham Young University. She carried a sign that read “My family doesn’t want me, now my school? BYU is home.”
The Church of LDS has come under wide criticism for its attacks on the LGBTQ community, support of conversion therapy and campaign against marriage equality.
jayceecook
I’ll repeat something my mother would say, “I feel you but I can’t reach you.”
Nobody is forcing these students to attend a privately owned religious institution with a very public stance on ALL forms of conduct, not just same sex relations, that goes back decades if not longer. If you *willingly* choose to matriculate at a known homophobic university I can’t feel sorry for your plight. Change isn’t going to come from holding protests while also filling their pockets with money.
The only way BYU will ever change is if it bleeds new enrollments which will deprive them of a profit. You can’t blame a deeply religious conservative private institution for being a deeply religious conservative private institution. You ignore them. But as long as the LDS has control over the university and the entire state you are not going to win this fight.
Cam
Actually many are forced to be there. Their families won’t pay if they don’t go to a Mormon University.
jayceecook
@Cam Then they can do what thousands of other students do every year, pay their own way. Or realize having a university degree these days, unless in very specific fields, is not as useful as it used to be. Invest in learning a trade or take a gap year and gain some employment experience. There are many ways to find a successful career outside of a traditional university.
Or do something really brave and difficult and reevaluate the faith you are putting in YOUR faith in. I think in some cases it can be easier to change yourself than it is these large, old institutions.
armandov
I hear what you are saying to some degree but I feel the same way about this as I do with the gay kid living in rural Alabama. Yes, the best thing for that kid to do is get the hell out of that small town and move to the city but if he loves his family and friends and thinks he can make inroads in the community and be a gay pioneer, I support that 100% I honor those types of brave people – whether the gay kid living in the conservative town who wants to make a go of it despite the odds – or the students at BYU. Yes, its a religious school and they may or may not make any progress but it’s worth trying. Everything doesn’t have to be an all or nothing proposition. I went to a catholic college and was openly gay and there was a gay student association.
Cam
You said….
@Cam Then they can do what thousands of other students do every year, pay their own way.
______________________
And graduate with massive student debt when they have the choice not to?
Your opinion seems to be that nobody should ever try to make any place better. Why shouldn’t they protest? Especially if they are Mormon, this school represents them, they are members of the church, they have every right to complain about an institution they belong to not representing them.
jayceecook
@Cam Oh shut the heck up. All you do is fight with people on the internet who don’t think like you. Who don’t agree with you. They’re trolls. Why do feel the need to reply to me? I’ve told you once already I can’t stand you. A smart person would get the message by now. But I will respond to you one final time.
If graduating with massive debt like thousands of other non priveleged people do every year means they don’t “have to” attend a homophobic university who is going to knowingly discriminate against them then yes, that is what they should do. If taking Mommy and Daddy’s money to willingly attend a known homophobic conservative religious institution, which has every right to exist, is more important to you then I have very little sympathy for your plight. Not when you actually have multiple choices available to you to seek out a successful career. Not when so many other students make sacrifices to achieve THEIR goals. It’s like you’re saying it’s okay to financially support notoriously homophobic institutions as long as you complain about them being notoriously homophobic. And if going into massive debt to attend university is such a problem, what are you doing to combat that? Are you actively supporting legislation and local and federal candidates that are trying to reduce or eliminate that debt and prevent future students from ending up in that same situation?
Nope. Absolutely wrong. BYU is not a school that represents them. If it were they would not have multiple codes of conduct that don’t reflect the reality of younger Latter-day Saints’ lives. Nor would they discriminate against those Latter-day Saints who identify as LGBTQ.
They may belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but they are also violating scripture and Church doctrine. That is fact. According to Latter-day Saints it’s revelation. Being a Latter-day Saint, or any kind of Christian or Muslim or Jew and being LGBTQ is NOT compatible. Period. It’s an issue of scripture and doctrine. Both of which are often considered Divinely revealed. People can protest it all they want but it’s not going to change a darn thing. I doubt it ever will. The only way I see any of these religions not only accepting their LGBTQ members but shedding the “no homo” rules is if there is another Reformation. Or multiple ones. Good luck with that. If you know anything of these religions you should understand why that is a huge never-going-to-happen. Especially with Islam.
I have no problem with people fighting for change. I was raised by a mother who fought injustice every chance she could. I’ve been there. I know the struggle. But there is a difference between what is going on here and something like buying a wedding cake or being able to adopt children or marriage equality which we now have. As I’ve said, BYU is a private university. One with a long history of not only homophobia but many forms of discrimination. They can do just about anything they want. Unfortunately it’s their right as a PRIVATE SCHOOL. If this were happening at a public university that gets government money or a public primary school, I would be cheering these kids on. I went to a private religious school during high school. I know how hard it is to have to abide by so many rules, regulations, and codes of conduct. I watched a female classmate “disappear” halfway through my senior year when her pregnancy began to show. Banished to night school and not allowed to participate in graduation. And this wasn’t 40, 50, or 60 years ago. Heck, it wasn’t even 30 years ago! I wasn’t there because I wanted to be per se but because I had to be. Why is none of your freaking business. But I accepted the reality of where I was. Though I did push the boundaries and limitations of said rules as far as I could and as many times as I could.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may be their religion but it doesn’t have to be. Atheism is a valid choice. Or one of the non Abrahamic faiths that doesn’t regard being LGBTQ a sin. It’s like joining or belonging to the Republican party. You don’t get to be outraged when they tell you that the person you are isn’t compatible with their organization. LGBTQ Latter-day Saints who remain affiliated with the Church are the equivalent to the Log Cabin Republicans. Both know they aren’t wanted yet they stay anyway.
jayceecook
@armandov I see where you’re coming from but that’s not a valid equivalent. That LGBTQ child born in rural Alabama or any state or city (let’s be real, not all of the north is pro LGBTQ) that isn’t kind to the community didn’t ask to be born. Or raised in that environment. They are there simply by circumstance. I am also very much aware of how financially hard it is to relocate to a town, village, or city that is LGBTQ friendly. Also as you said, they may have developed roots in that area which keeps them tethered to where they are. While on the surface level it might seem similar it’s not. That rural area they choose to live in despite its homophobic actions isn’t a private institution. It very much belongs to the public. It’s nature so to speak is made up of the people who live, work, and die there. Built and maintained by their blood, sweat, and tears. They can vote for legislation and political leaders that could change that nature if they decide the one it currently has isn’t reflective of said people who make it up. You can change laws. Fight for fairer treatment. You can educate those who are truly ignorant. You can change how you treat your fellow citizens. You can’t change scripture and religious doctrine in the same way. Because that’s what is really at issue here.
This is a private religious institution that is governed by the scripture and tenets of said faith. It permeates and dictates almost every aspect of the university. Code of conduct. Even what is taught. There is no separation of church and state in this instance. You can complain and protest all you want but the university will only change when the religious doctrine changes. Or when their enrollment numbers and profit margins fall. That is why I feel the best way to change BYU’s stance on issues like this one is too not attend. I’d love to see these students orchestrate some kind of mass exodus to other universities. Read my second reply to Cam. There’s some stuff I don’t want to repeat.
And I went to a Catholic university for graduate school for bit. They had a very active LGBTQ student group. They were even able to get Judy Shepard to come and speak. The whole theater auditorium was packed. What an amazing experience that was. However that was a Jesuit university. If you know anything about the Jesuits you know they aren’t big on always following the rules. But they too had to be careful. The local diocese wasn’t too thrilled when they found out. So I get that not everything is an all or nothing situation. However religion unfortunately often is.
Cam
This was a phony P.R. stunt by BYU.
What happened was scientific journals and other publications told BYU they wouldn’t let them run ads for employment in them since they were bigoted and had discriminatory rules on the books.
BYU then tried to lie and say “Ok, then we no longer discriminate” thinking they could lie to the publications and nobody would find out. The news went wide and as soon as it went public, BYU basically admitted they’d been lying to the publications about the policy change.
Anything the LDS church does with regard to LGBT people is all a smokesreen. The council are all bigots, they hate us, and unless forced by economic or bad P.R. they will keep discriminating.
Mack
One might think that BYU did this to find out who the LGBTQ were at their school. I wonder if we’ll soon see a massive expulsion of students for being LGBTQ. I really don’t put anything pass the Moron Church.
Some one said that no one “forced” anyone to go there and I agree but someone else said that parents told them that was the only college they would pay for-then your find yourself a good job and a community college and go there. I don’t give my money to hate organizations. And that’s what they are.
blackhook
Just say NO! to toxic, medieval, hateful religion… #ImagineNoReligion #ItsEasyIfYouTry