Target: Kevin J. Worthen, President of Brigham Young University
Goal: Lift dating ban that unfairly targets LGBTQ+ students.
The Department of Education celebrated Valentine’s Day by affirming that certain schools can dictate not only their students’ grades, but their love lives as well. A group of students recently brought a complaint against private Mormon-led school Brigham Young University (BYU) for its controversial punitive policies regarding LGBTQ+ students. Dating someone of the same sex or showing any form of physical affection (including hand holding) is prohibited. The punishments for violations can range from discipline all the way up to expulsion.
Students are especially angered because the texts related to prohibition of “homosexual behavior” were taken out of the school’s written honor code by its leaders. After this move, relieved students began coming out, only for the school to back-track weeks later and say the ban on same-sex dating was still in place. The Department of Education launched a probe after the misled students protested, but the agency ultimately ruled that it had no authority to take action since BYU is a private school.
Sign the petition below to urge this school to rethink a policy that is prioritizing discrimination over education.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Mr. Worthen,
“Judge not, lest ye be judged.” Matthew 7:1 is such a critical tenet of Christianity, yet too many Christians overlook it. BYU promotes itself as an institution that upholds Christian values, so why does this school ignore the meaning behind this important passage? Your exclusionary and punitive policy regarding same-sex dating defies this very principle. You must be aware of this dichotomy, or you would not have removed the restriction from the school’s honor code.
Just because you are technically exempt from Title IX statutes and received a pass to discriminate from the government does not mean that you should. This institution is supposed to set a better example, both as a representative of your faith and as a school where the first priority should be education. Please rescind these archaic attempts to control the privates lives of your students and send a message to them that their faith embodies love, not hate.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Anna Shivets
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