Gender Studies, Gays, and Religious Discrimination at YBU, er, BYU!!

I finally feel I should update people on what is going on at BYU ... in general.

I could do separate posts on these as there is enough information floating around, but I'm betting some of you have already gotten wind of these, and I'll supply some links.

So first, BYU is treading down the line of getting better and being douchebags over gays and LGBT people at BYU still. For anyone who didn't, somehow, learn about the Cary Crall letter, then here's USU Shaft's post on that. They cover that nicely. I've actually met Cary and he seems like a cool guy. He also did a minor awareness or public display of supporting gays again just this last week. Some students tried to set up the display through BYU, asking permission, but of course BYU told them to wait, wouldn't get back to them, and then said to not do it. Something about not doing things like that on reading days or something. Yeah. Either way Cary and friends went out and did it anyways. I would've done it if I had known.

I'd also like to remind people of the USGA meetings every Thursday on campus (Understanding Same-Gender Attraction) in which there are many advocates of trying to help bigoted people understand homosexuality. Also Brad Carmack, who I've mentioned before, is heavily involved with this group and even has a book out about the topic.


Moving on to more douchebaggery by BYU I'm sure most people know how they got rid of their Women's Studies programs an such. But the latest news through the grapevine is that BYU is also shutting down the Gender Equality club, or something like that. It may in fact be Parity, which seems right. Either way I heard BYU is getting rid of that as well, and the reasons behind why are fishy. This of course is not completely reinforced knowledge however, and I haven't found out anything else online about BYU trying to get rid of the club, but to pull a phrase by one friend, "Basically I expect BYU to act in the shittiest way possible, and that way I'm never surprised by what they do." So I'm betting that the club is being shut down and we may hear more about it in the coming weeks.


Last, it seems BYU isn't completely bad, at least on some levels, as they published this article about religious discrimination. It seems BYU students are getting more and more aware of the fact that if LDS students change religions they are kicked out. I confirmed this with the non-LDS chaplain, but we agreed to keep our conversation private so I won't say more. However, other people are talking, mostly on post-mo discussion boards though, such as reddit and postmormon but at least people are being made more aware which could lead to eventual changes in the future. Again, Brad made a short video outlining the issue as well.

I honestly hope YBU will start changing it's policies on things. So long as they discriminate against women and men who want less sexism in the world, women and men who through genetics and environment are homosexual or bi-sexual, and then LDS students who stop believing and are honest about their unbelief, I don't think BYU will look any better to the world, and that they will slowly loose support by their own students and the membership of the church. The church isn't really moving fast enough in it's changes and is driving wedges between those middle-ground supporters and itself. A lot of people become more and more antagonistic towards BYU after having gone there, especially if they are involved in any of these three issues, which makes up literal hundreds, possibly thousands, of the current student body.