Colorado fined for fans’ bad behaviour at game against BYU

[Calm]

6 minutes ago, Pyreaux said:

That's what I mean. Unless the fine was money that won't be missed, the costs will get passed along to fans somehow. 

Sorry for the repetition, but for some reason I want to be really clear on this not that important of an issue, lol.

Are you saying no matter what, all fans will be feeling the pain because to pay the fine, the school will resort to raising ticket price or something else…maybe charge alcoholic vendors more who then raise their prices.

If it is true the fans doing this are often drunk, seems like charging alcohol vendors more for the chance to sell at games would be better targeting than just raising prices…though no doubt there are many fans who drink at games without going this far.

Edited October 1, 2025 by Calm

[Kenngo1969]

Meh.  This is a nothingburger.  We'd better get used to it.

[webbles]

7 hours ago, Calm said:

So in looking for the back story before you posted (I will admit I would have probably not looked to doublecheck like a good little poster if you had posted earlier as I find you a trustworthy analyst and I am just not interested in sports culture 😛 ), I came across this opinion.  Do you disagree that they would have jumped at the chance of Notre Dame wanting to join and if not, what about with their comparison of Notre Dame and BYU as both conservative, both religious, and both lacking in research? And if not, what in addition to those things contributed to BYU not being a good fit?

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/398103-byu-is-not-wanted-in-the-pac-10-due-to-discrimination

This article led me to chalk it up mainly to the same thing that results in things like the Pew survey where we are the most disliked for whatever reason (in the past it was until someone gets to actually know a Saint that is, wondering why that has changed now…could make some guesses, but that would be pure speculation at this point).

Hmmm…might start a thread on the change.

I don't think the Pac-10/12 would have invited Notre Dame.  But Notre Dame has a lot of history with some of the schools in the Pac-10/12.  It has a historic rivalry with USC and Stanford and those two (along with UCLA and Cal) are usually the ones that are mentioned when talking about who doesn't want BYU.  So, if they did invite Notre Dame, it would be because of that history.  Notre Dame is also a much bigger school in prestige and is an R1 level university (BYU just became R1 in the last few years because of a change to the qualifications).

The other conferences (Big-10, Big-12, SEC) don't care as much about conservative leaning or religion.  For those, it is more the market pull and the sports culture.  The Big-12 has been called the "truck stop" conference because its schools are not academically rigorous.  They only grabbed BYU because they lost Texas and Oklahoma and no one from the Pac-12 would move.  BYU was the most valuable available school.

[Kenngo1969]

7 hours ago, Calm said:

Sorry for the repetition, but for some reason I want to be really clear on this not that important of an issue, lol.

Are you saying no matter what, all fans will be feeling the pain because to pay the fine, the school will resort to raising ticket price or something else…maybe charge alcoholic vendors more who then raise their prices.

If it is true the fans doing this are often drunk [chanting "We Love Mormons!" um, sorry ... I mean "F*** The Mormons!"]

Is that true?  Gotta be at least 21 to buy alk-ee-hall , and nobody but some upperclassmen (sorry for the sexist term: not sure what the nonsexist equivalent is) are gonna be able to meet that criterion.  It has been my impression that that this loverly bit of an attempt at bridge building (all in fun, all in fun!    ) originates with students.  

[blackstrap]

It's " upperclassthem "  Kenngo .😁

[bluebell]

10 hours ago, Calm said:

How would they do that without also penalizing fans who did not cause issues?

If caught, allow them to stay if they pay a fine?  Perhaps just once or keep doubling the fine each time because some people have too much money on their hands, though unlikely to be spending it by attending games and indulging in vulgarity. 

If the other fans start feeling like they are going to be penalized because of the actions of a few, then they might stop tolerating the actions of the few.  Social pressure is a good way to enact change sometimes.

[Amulek]

16 hours ago, Calm said:

Rival fans have been vulgarly aggressive against BYU for a long time.  Glad something significant has been done (might have been done before and I can’t remember).  Hopefully this will cause fans to reconsider, knowing they are likely to hurt their own teams more than BYU.

I know the Big 12 cited its sportsmanship standards in fining Colorado after the BYU game, and technically they’re within their rights to do so. That said, I personally have a hard time with punishing people for speech - even when it’s offensive or directed at us as Latter-day Saints. For me, I’d have been perfectly content if no penalty had been issued in this case.

 

[longview]

22 minutes ago, Amulek said:

I know the Big 12 cited its sportsmanship standards in fining Colorado after the BYU game, and technically they’re within their rights to do so. That said, I personally have a hard time with punishing people for speech - even when it’s offensive or directed at us as Latter-day Saints. For me, I’d have been perfectly content if no penalty had been issued in this case.

It is better to maintain minimum standards to some degree. Otherwise there is the potential for ever increasing levels of brute intolerance and bigotry among the liquored-up crowds that could lead to rioting or heaven forbid a lynching. That has been the case among fervent soccer fans in Europe. One video I will never forget showed a British hooligan with a screwdriver running down the stand and stabbing the "enemy" fan.

[bluebell]

1 minute ago, Amulek said:

I know the Big 12 cited its sportsmanship standards in fining Colorado after the BYU game, and technically they’re within their rights to do so. That said, I personally have a hard time with punishing people for speech - even when it’s offensive or directed at us as Latter-day Saints. For me, I’d have been perfectly content if no penalty had been issued in this case.

 

I see what you’re saying, and it’s reasonable.

I tend to use the “Jewish religion” litmus test.

If I’m OK with somebody doing it to or screaming it about “Jews” then I’m OK with them doing it to or screaming it about anyone else.

Not because it’s ever OK, but because I think that different events come with different social contracts and people have a right to expect certain things at certain events.

If I would absolutely be incensed and up in arms (theoretically speaking) over a group of college kids screaming “F the Jews” at a football game then same for them doing it to any other religion. Not because I don’t believe in protecting free speech, but because I think that people attending a football game sponsored by an organization they support have a right to attend without organized religious harassment.

Under those circumstances, I think the students can take their free speech somewhere else or suffer the consequences. 

[Tony uk]

If alcohol is what is manifesting the problem. Then maybe the fans could be forewarned, that if the behaviour continues as it is then, then the vendors would be charged extra, to cover the cost of any future fines. Alcohol contributing to the problem, vendor is charged, prices rise, the majority suffering for the minority. The prospect of this happening could bring about peer pressure, people keeping a check on each other, and taking a response for each other.

[california boy]

9 hours ago, Calm said:

So in looking for the back story before you posted (I will admit I would have probably not looked to doublecheck like a good little poster if you had posted earlier as I find you a trustworthy analyst and I am just not interested in sports culture 😛 ), I came across this opinion.  Do you disagree that they would have jumped at the chance of Notre Dame wanting to join and if not, what about with their comparison of Notre Dame and BYU as both conservative, both religious, and both lacking in research? And if not, what in addition to those things contributed to BYU not being a good fit?

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/398103-byu-is-not-wanted-in-the-pac-10-due-to-discrimination

This article led me to chalk it up mainly to the same thing that results in things like the Pew survey where we are the most disliked for whatever reason (in the past it was until someone gets to actually know a Saint that is, wondering why that has changed now…could make some guesses, but that would be pure speculation at this point).

Hmmm…might start a thread on the change.

 

I read the article you linked.  I think it outlined pretty clearly the arguments and reasons why some of the schools didn't think that BYU was not a good fit.  But I think the article totally glosses over the significant difference between BYU and Norte Dame.  Let's take a closer look.

 

Quote

A politically active religion that's been very vocal in their opposition to gay marriage and very conservative on other social issues? Check.

BIG difference here.  Prop 8 was not supported by the Catholic church in any way compared to the escalation and overwhelming financial and manpower support that the Church did.  It is often referred to as the "Mormon Proposition" for a reason.  Sometimes I think church members like to think of Prop 8 as water under the bridge.  Maybe it is water under the bridge for members, but I can tell you there are a LOT of people who will never forget the Mormon Churches crusade against their civil rights. 

Let's pretend that it is water under the bridge (more a hope than a reality).  So how does Catholic Notre Dame treat its students on campus compared to the Mormon institution?  Don't forget we are comparing university with university.  The article compares both schools and concludes that it is just plain discrimination.  But was it asking the right questions?

Does BYU allow its LGBT students to date?  Nope.  Notre Dame, yes

Does BYU allow its LGBT students to kiss someone they love?   Nope.  Notre Dame, yes

Does BYU allow its LGBT students to organize LGBT clubs?  Nope.  Notre Dame, yes

Does BYU allow its LGBT students to celebrate Pride?  Nope.  Notre Dame, yes

Does BYU expel its LGBT students if a student is caught doing any of these activities?  Nope.  Notre Dame, no.

Does BYU require any student that sees any violation of any of these policies to be reported and if not reported, could jeopardize their own enrollment? Yes.  Notre Dame no.  In fact Notre Dame has specific policies against any harassment of its LGBT students.  

Does BYU require clergy to verify if the student is attending church and not dating, kissing, holding hands?  Yes.    Nortre Dame, no

As has been pointed out, BYU's attitudes towards the LGBT community was probably the biggest sticking point when considering its inclusion to the pack 10.  Those that decided to let them in were swayed by the very large Mormon fan base across the country, and. couldn't resist the broadcasting dollars waved in their face.   Students really don't care about those dollars.  But no one asked them did they.  So just how do those students push back against what they feel goes directly against their principles?  I think we know the answer to that question, they chant *BYU *Mormons.

The fines aren't going to make one bit of difference.  I am sure the schools just do a financial cost vs profit analysis.  How much does that broadcasting money coming in from the Mormon audience compared to the fines. They can all afford a couple of $50,000 fines each season.  

If you were a LGBT student at one of those schools that the administration power brokered a deal to get that BYU broadcasting money without significantly considering the social justice issues, just how would you push back?  Seriously, I would like an answer to that question.

Here is an overview of Notre Dame's policies towards LGBT students.  It might not be perfect, but, light years away from BYU's repressive policies.  

 

 

Quote

 

Notre Dame Policies concerning LGBT student conduct

The University of Notre Dame does not explicitly forbid students from identifying as LGBTQ+, but its policies, which are shaped by its Catholic identity, place restrictions on LGBTQ+ student conduct

. These policies address sexual conduct, single-sex housing, and harassment. 

 

Sexual conduct and Catholic teaching

As a Catholic university, Notre Dame's policies on sexual conduct are based on the Catholic faith, which teaches that sexual activity should be limited to married, heterosexual couples. This informs the campus's expectations for all students, including those in the LGBTQ+ community. 

 

Residential life policies

• Single-sex residence halls: Notre Dame has 32 single-sex residence halls, and students remain in the same dorm throughout their undergraduate years. This policy structure does not accommodate same-sex couples wishing to live together on campus.
• Parietals (visitation rules): The university has strict "parietal" rules, which govern visitation between opposite-sex dorms. Opposite-sex visitation is not permitted after midnight on weeknights and 2 a.m. on weekends. While these rules apply to all students, they reinforce a traditional, heteronormative view of relationships on campus.
• Same-sex partners: The university's policies do not specify how they address students in same-sex relationships who are found violating parietal rules. However, the overall structure of residential life creates barriers for openly same-sex couples. 

 

Anti-discrimination and harassment

• Harassment policy: Notre Dame's anti-harassment policies include protections for students based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The Office of Institutional Equity (OIE) addresses and resolves complaints of harassing conduct.
• Non-discrimination clause (point of debate): Notre Dame's formal non-discrimination clause does not explicitly list sexual orientation as a protected class, unlike many other universities. In February 2024, the student senate passed a resolution urging the university to add this protection, but as of October 2025, the policy has not been officially changed. 

 

LGBTQ+ resources and student groups

• PrismND: The university officially recognizes PrismND, an LGBTQ+ undergraduate student organization that hosts events and meetings for queer students and allies. This official recognition demonstrates a level of institutional support for LGBTQ+ student life.
• Campus ministry: For over two decades, Campus Ministry has maintained a presence within the LGBTQ+ community at Notre Dame.
• University Counseling Center: The UCC has resources available specifically for LGBTQ+ students. 

 

 

This is what equality for LGBT students looks like.

[california boy]

1 hour ago, bluebell said:

If the other fans start feeling like they are going to be penalized because of the actions of a few, then they might stop tolerating the actions of the few.  Social pressure is a good way to enact change sometimes.

 

25 minutes ago, Tony uk said:

If alcohol is what is manifesting the problem. Then maybe the fans could be forewarned, that if the behaviour continues as it is then, then the vendors would be charged extra, to cover the cost of any future fines. Alcohol contributing to the problem, vendor is charged, prices rise, the majority suffering for the minority. The prospect of this happening could bring about peer pressure, people keeping a check on each other, and taking a response for each other.

It is not alcohol that is causing these chants.  The students don't have to be drunk to voice their distain for BYU.  And it is quite possible that trying to punish those who feel like they are using their free speech rights to object to something they very strongly believe in might very well blow this up to an even bigger issue.  In the end, it might be BYU that gets kicked out of the Pac 12.  Unless someone sees a different conclusion.  Love to hear what others think would happen with stronger force being exerted.

[bluebell]

7 minutes ago, california boy said:

 

It is not alcohol that is causing these chants.  The students don't have to be drunk to voice their distain for BYU.  And it is quite possible that trying to punish those who feel like they are using their free speech rights to object to something they very strongly believe in might very well blow this up to an even bigger issue.  In the end, it might be BYU that gets kicked out of the Pac 12.  Unless someone sees a different conclusion.  Love to hear what others think would happen with stronger force being exerted.

Someone should probably tell these compassionate students that they aren't showing disdain for BYU, they are showing disdain for members of a religion, some of whom could be their own players and actually are their fellow students and faculty.  And probably not a few of the people they are using the F word against support LGTBQ+ rights (though I very much doubt that this chant happened because of some kind of pro-gay activism.)

The reason that alcohol got brought into the conversation was because Colorado's coach, Deion Sanders, brought it in.

"On behalf of CU, on behalf of our athletic department, we would like to apologize to our opponents from a week ago for whatever derogatory statements were made by our fans," Sanders said. "That's not indicative of who we are. Our student body, our kids are phenomenal. So don't indict us just based on a group of young kids that probably was intoxicated and high simultaneously. Maybe I shouldn't have said that as well, but the truth gonna make you free. But BYU, we love you, we appreciate you, and we support you."

Edited October 1, 2025 by bluebell

[ZealouslyStriving]

31 minutes ago, california boy said:

In the end, it might be BYU that gets kicked out of the Pac 12.

Big 12

[california boy]

1 hour ago, bluebell said:

Someone should probably tell these compassionate students that they aren't showing disdain for BYU, they are showing disdain for members of a religion, some of whom could be their own players and actually are their fellow students and faculty.  And probably not a few of the people they are using the F word against support LGTBQ+ rights (though I very much doubt that this chant happened because of some kind of pro-gay activism.)

The reason that alcohol got brought into the conversation was because Colorado's coach, Deion Sanders, brought it in.

"On behalf of CU, on behalf of our athletic department, we would like to apologize to our opponents from a week ago for whatever derogatory statements were made by our fans," Sanders said. "That's not indicative of who we are. Our student body, our kids are phenomenal. So don't indict us just based on a group of young kids that probably was intoxicated and high simultaneously. Maybe I shouldn't have said that as well, but the truth gonna make you free. But BYU, we love you, we appreciate you, and we support you."

Someone should probably point out that perhaps it might not be against a religion but against how that religion and a university treats LGBT students.  I would say that *BYU is pretty clear about distain for BYU.  It is not hard to like someone who is a member of the Church and still be very upset about a university sponsored by a religion and its discrimination policies.  None of those chants were directed at an individual.

I would like to ask you this question that I asked in my post.  If you were a LGBT student at one of those schools that the administration power bordered a deal to get that BYU broadcasting money without significantly considering the social issues, just how would you push back?

Not surprising the coach blames it on the alcohol.  It's an easy scape goat.  Would you expect him to come out and say it is about how BYU treats LGBT issues?  Plenty of prejudice against the Catholic church as well, but Notre Dame isn't getting these kinds of chants.  Perhaps it is because their policies towards LGBT students are light years away from BYU's. I am not saying that alcohol might be a part of it, but I don't think it is really what is fueling the dislike for the Church or BYU.  There is alcohol served at just about every football game throughout the country.  People in other leagues are not chanting these kinds of chants.  There is definitely something more going on.

Maybe a part of me is remembering the pushback BYU was getting in the 70's over the black issue when I was attending BYU.  It wasn't alcohol then either.

 

 

Edited October 1, 2025 by california boy

[bluebell]

11 minutes ago, california boy said:

Someone should probably point out that perhaps it might not be against a religion but against how that religion and a university treats LGBT students.  I would say that *BYU is pretty clear about distain for BYU.  It is not hard to like someone who is a member of the Church and still be very upset about a university sponsored by a religion and its discrimination policies.  None of those chants were directed at an individual.

I would like to ask you this question that I asked in my post.  If you were a LGBT student at one of those schools that the administration power bordered a deal to get that BYU broadcasting money without significantly considering the social issues, just how would you push back?

Not surprising the coach blames it on the alcohol.  It's an easy scape goat.  Would you expect him to come out and say it is about how BYU treats LGBT issues?  Plenty of prejudice against the Catholic church as well, but Notre Dame isn't getting these kinds of chants.  Perhaps it is because their policies towards LGBT students are light years away from BYU's. I am not saying that alcohol might be a part of it, but I don't think it is really what is fueling the dislike for the Church or BYU.  There is alcohol served at just about every football game throughout the country.  People in other leagues are not chanting these kinds of chants.  There is definitely something more going on.

Maybe a part of me is remembering the pushback BYU was getting in the 70's over the black issue when I was attending BYU.  It wasn't alcohol then either.

 

 

The chant was F the Mormons though.  

[Okrahomer]

18 minutes ago, bluebell said:

The chant was F the Mormons though.  

Exactly.  One BYU sports commentator noted that they were also chanting "F- BYU" which, in his opinion, is "allowable"; while the late-game "F- the Mormons" was not OK.

[webbles]

35 minutes ago, california boy said:

Someone should probably point out that perhaps it might not be against a religion but against how that religion and a university treats LGBT students.  I would say that *BYU is pretty clear about distain for BYU.  It is not hard to like someone who is a member of the Church and still be very upset about a university sponsored by a religion and its discrimination policies.  None of those chants were directed at an individual.

I would like to ask you this question that I asked in my post.  If you were a LGBT student at one of those schools that the administration power bordered a deal to get that BYU broadcasting money without significantly considering the social issues, just how would you push back?

Not surprising the coach blames it on the alcohol.  It's an easy scape goat.  Would you expect him to come out and say it is about how BYU treats LGBT issues?  Plenty of prejudice against the Catholic church as well, but Notre Dame isn't getting these kinds of chants.  Perhaps it is because their policies towards LGBT students are light years away from BYU's. I am not saying that alcohol might be a part of it, but I don't think it is really what is fueling the dislike for the Church or BYU.  There is alcohol served at just about every football game throughout the country.  People in other leagues are not chanting these kinds of chants.  There is definitely something more going on.

Maybe a part of me is remembering the pushback BYU was getting in the 70's over the black issue when I was attending BYU.  It wasn't alcohol then either.

 

 

If you ignore the chants about mormons, people in other leagues are definitely chanting these kind of chants.  They can get a lot worse as well.  The issue with the Colorado game was that they were chanting about a religion.  For a lot of people BYU = mormons, Utah = mormons.  So to those kids, cursing at mormons is the same thing as cursing at BYU.  But it is ok to curse at BYU, but it is not ok to curse at mormons.

[california boy]

28 minutes ago, bluebell said:

The chant was F the Mormons though.  

It was F the Mormons F BYU.  Who sponsors BYU?

Can I ask why you don't think a big part of this is not social issues related to LGBT?  Do you think most students don't care about discrimination against LGBT students?  Do you think LGBT students at other universities don't care about LGBT students at BYU?

[california boy]

6 minutes ago, webbles said:

If you ignore the chants about mormons, people in other leagues are definitely chanting these kind of chants.  They can get a lot worse as well.  The issue with the Colorado game was that they were chanting about a religion.  For a lot of people BYU = mormons, Utah = mormons.  So to those kids, cursing at mormons is the same thing as cursing at BYU.  But it is ok to curse at BYU, but it is not ok to curse at mormons.

Not sure what your last sentence is addressing.  Could you clarify?

 

[webbles]

2 minutes ago, california boy said:

It was F the Mormons F BYU.  Who sponsors BYU?

Can I ask why you don't think a big part of this is not social issues related to LGBT?  Do you think most students don't care about discrimination against LGBT students?  Do you think LGBT students at other universities don't care about LGBT students at BYU?

I don't think most students care about discrimination against LGBT students.  They might think that there is no discrimination and not even realize BYU's policies.  I would bet most of the people doing the chanting were not even thinking about LGBT discrimination but just joining in with a football chant.  For example - https://onwardstate.com/2015/09/16/rutgers-fans-have-chanted-f-k-penn-state-at-every-football-game-for-a-year/.  For an entire year, the Rutgers fans chanted "F Penn State" at every single game.  They only played Penn State once that entire year but kept doing it for all the remaining games.  It is ok to swear at the college.

[webbles]

8 minutes ago, california boy said:

Not sure what your last sentence is addressing.  Could you clarify?

 

Saying "F BYU" at a football game is acceptable.  For a lot of people, BYU = mormons.  So, "F BYU" and "F mormons" is the same thing to them.  If you are a BYU fan, then you also must be a mormon (this irritates BYU fans who are not mormons, especially those that have left the church).  But it is not fine to curse a religion, so "F mormons" is wrong but "F BYU" is ok.  So Colorado was fined for the "F mormons".  If the fans had just said "F BYU", no fines would have occurred.

[bluebell]

30 minutes ago, california boy said:

It was F the Mormons F BYU.  Who sponsors BYU?

Can I ask why you don't think a big part of this is not social issues related to LGBT?  Do you think most students don't care about discrimination against LGBT students?  Do you think LGBT students at other universities don't care about LGBT students at BYU?

I think most students do care, at least theoretically and if you specifically asked them. 

But we are talking about a sporting event, not a protest. I don't think that most students are into activism at sporting events, but they are into being vulgar and rude to the opposing team if they can get away with it.  In 2019 the Michigan State alumni got very bent out of shape when their student body started chanting "FU UT" at the University of Tulsa.  In 2016 it was all over the papers when the student fans at a Catholic high school basketball game started chanting “You killed Jesus!” at Newton North High School fans, who I guess were Jewish. 

Do you think those fans were making a social or political statement?  Or were they just being young and dumb? I would be very surprised if the majority of the colorado students did anything else that could even remotely be described as 'activism' (for any cause) during their daily lives.  Precedent says this wasn't anything deeper this time either.

 

Edited October 1, 2025 by bluebell

[Okrahomer]

1 hour ago, california boy said:

Not surprising the coach blames it on the alcohol.  It's an easy scape goat.  Would you expect him to come out and say it is about how BYU treats LGBT issues?

Scapegoat or honest observation?  If you had watched the pre-game TV broadcast, you would have seen coverage of CU-Boulder students who were already quite inebriated prior to kick-off.  These kids were having a "great" time outside the stadium and were planning to continue having a great time inside the stadium -- there were no pro-LGBTQ+ rights signs, no rainbow flags nor any other sort of anti-discrimination symbols on display.  

Edited October 1, 2025 by Okrahomer

[Calm]

3 hours ago, california boy said:

Prop 8 was not supported by the Catholic church in any way compared to the escalation and overwhelming financial and manpower support that the Church did.

But not only did Catholics invite the LDS Church into a collaboration to fight gay marriage (not the first time) for Prop 8, Catholic organizations contributed significantly financially in California and later nationally.  I would have thought there would be a similar response from LGBT groups, if not as strong.

Quote

The Catholic Church is funneling unprecedented dollar amounts into the four states where marriage equality is on the ballot this fall – Minnesota, Maryland, Maine and Washington – and in many cases, parishioners may not even be aware that their dollars are being used to fund discrimination. The new report from the Human Rights Campaign finds that the Church has spent at least $1.1 million as part of its broader effort to deny loving, committed couples the right to marry. In addition, a close ally of the Church and past co-conspirator, the National Organization for Marriage, has spent nearly $1.4 million on the four ballot measures. In the aggregate, the Church and NOM are the single largest funders of discrimination, responsible for funding nearly 60 percent of all anti-equality efforts in Minnesota, Maryland, Maine and Washington….

The report, available at www.hrc.org/catholicreport, breaks down publicly reported in-kind and cash expenditures from the Church hierarchy and the Knights of Columbus to the four ballot states. In Minnesota, the Church has funded over 50 percent of the effort to write discrimination into the state constitution – spending over $608,000. That figure includes significant investments from the Knights of Columbus, as well as thousands of dollars from small parishes all across the country.

The Knights of Columbus also have made sizable contributions in Maryland and Washington State – dropping $250,000 in each state on efforts to prevent loving, committed same-sex couples from starting families.

https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/catholic-church-and-nom-responsible-for-60-of-anti-equality-funding-in-four#:~:text=The hefty financial investments from,And in Minneapolis-St.

Having said that, the difference in treatment of LGBT students at Notre Dame is massive and I can see that making enough of a difference when focusing on the university and not the faith in general.  It also helps that a significant portion of the lay membership, perhaps even a majority are proLGBT rights, which wasn’t true in the past with LDS members.  I don’t know how much that has changed in recent years for LDS though many, many more are pro rights now and the number is likely growing as we post.

Quote

If you were a LGBT student at one of those schools that the administration power brokered a deal to get that BYU broadcasting money without significantly considering the social justice issues, just how would you push back?  Seriously, I would like an answer to that question.

If you are asking me personally, assuming the only thing changing would be my LGBT status based on political activity in the past and present, some would depend on if I was still a member or family was.  Assuming I wasn’t as is probably the scenario you are thinking about,  I would likely be angered, I would sign any petitions to get the administration to change their mind, I might join peaceful protests (never had the opportunity to do this, protests happened at my high school the year before and the year after I left and BYU had nothing like that though the ERA was receiving a lot of attention; I doubt I would have joined anything that risked me getting kicked out given my terminal shyness and desire to please my parents at that time; I had decided I would participate in this way in a cause that I supported, but no issue that was being discussed close enough to me to participate if a protest had popped up would have risked my standing with the Church…anti war, anti busing, rights for migrant workers, black civil rights).  

No way if I continued to be who I fundamentally am would I ever harass anyone including student athletes who I see as relatively powerless to influence church positions.  Perhaps some athletes might transfer to other schools or made a public stand by refusing to play and getting kicked out, more likely they would just never come to BYU in the first place and some are even making it clear to BYU, if not publicizing their reasons (I don’t remember seeing this in the news at all, has anyone when interviewed said if they got an offer to go to BYU, they would refuse unless LGBT were allowed to date, etc), but I see that as unlikely to change what is seen as a religious, moral standard by church leaders.

Edited October 1, 2025 by Calm