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Students identifying as LGBTQIA+ have a long, documented history at Brigham Young University (BYU),[1][2]: 59, 60 and have experienced a range of treatment by other students and school administrators over the decades. Large surveys of over 7,000 BYU students in 2020 and 2017 found that over 13% had marked their sexual orientation as something other than "strictly heterosexual", while the other survey showed that .2% had reported their gender identity as transgender or something other than cisgender male or female.[3][4]: 2 BYU is the largest religious university in North America and is the flagship institution of the educational system of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church)—Mormonism's largest denomination.
Historically, experiences for BYU students identifying as LGBTQIA+ have included being banned from enrolling due to their romantic attractions in the 60s;[2]: 379 being required by school administration to undergo therapy in the 1970s, including electroshock and vomit aversion therapies in "special cases";[5]: 155 having nearly 80% of BYU students refusing to live with an openly homosexual person in a poll in the 1990s;[6] and a ban on coming out until 2007.[7][8] Until 2021 there were not any LGBTQIA+-specific resources on campus, though there is now the Office of Student Success and Inclusion.[9][10][11] BYU students are at risk of discipline and expulsion by the Honor Code Office for expressions of same-sex romantic feelings that go against the school's code of conduct such as same-sex dating, hugging, and kissing,[15] for gender non-conforming dress, and students and faculty are still banned from meeting together in a queer-straight alliance group on campus.[16][17][18]
Several LGBT rights organizations have criticized BYU's policies around queer students[19] and The Princeton Review has regularly ranked BYU as one of the most LGBT-unfriendly schools in the United States.[20][21][22] Although BYU policies specific to same-sex romantic expressions have existed since the 50s, these were only available to administrators, and the first publicly available explicit mention of homosexuality in the language of the school's code of conduct was not publicly published until the fall of 2009.[23][24] The first LGBT-specific campus-wide event was held in April 2017.[25] Though faced with this historical and current environment, LGBT individuals have continued to enroll in and attend BYU with many participating in unofficial LGBT BYU communities.
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Insidewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Gleeson, Scott (August 10, 2016). "Could BYU's LGBT Policies Really Deter Big 12 Move?". USA Today.
- ^ Levesque, Brody (August 27, 2021). "BYU announces Office of Belonging; LDS Elder attacks LGBTQ+ people". Washington Blade. Washington D.C.
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Codewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "LGBT BYU students explain why they chose to attend and stay". Daily Universe. BYU. Associated Press. November 4, 2016.
The decision by LGBT students to attend or stay at BYU comes with the price of being unable to participate in the university's dating culture. It oftentimes means staying home while roommates go on dates or watching as they get engaged. It's knowing that two straight friends can hug, or go on a friend date, but that two LGBT students who are the same gender can't do the same.
- ^ [12]: 1 [13]: 1 [14]
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Dyingwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Ranking Categories: Demographics". Princeton Review College Ranking. The Princeton Review.
- ^ Knox, Annie (August 11, 2015). "BYU, other Christian schools ranked among the least LGBT-friendly campuses". Washington Post. Washington D.C.
- ^ Lee, Ashley (September 14, 2016). "BYU added to LGBT organization's 'Shame List'". Daily Universe. BYU.
- ^ "2008 Church Educational System Honor Code". BYU. Archived from the original on June 8, 2014 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "2009 Church Educational System Honor Code". BYU. Archived from the original on September 3, 2011 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Dobner, Jennifer (April 28, 2017). "LGBTQ students discuss challenges faced at Mormon-owned BYU in first-ever forum". The Salt Lake Tribune.