BYU graduation speech

[bsjkki]

I figured I would post this since it is making the rounds. I first saw it on Facebook but now it has migrated to political sites. Go figure. https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/441070-byu-student-commencement-speaker-comes-out-as-gay-during-speech

"It was in these quiet moments of pain and confusion that I felt another triumph, that of coming to terms, not with who I thought I should be, but who the Lord has made me," Easton said. "As such, I stand before my family, friends and graduating class today to say that I am proud to be a gay son of God."

Coming out, Easton said to applause, was "a phenomenal feeling, and it is a victory for me in and of itself."

I read BYU approved his speech ahead of time.

Edited April 29, 2019 by bsjkki

[rpn]

I was pretty astonished --- I gave the valedictory speech at a College of Social Science graduation  some years ago, and they insisted on screening my speech even after I pushed back, and told me what I had to put it in  (what the current prophet had said on the subject, which was not a single word, which is why I hadn't used that in the first place).   I could hear the GA and the person who screened it laugh when I added at the end [then present prophet] "Do It"    (BTW, I was clearly not the smartest student.  They just interviewed the top man and woman in each of the departments and chose the one they wanted.  In answer to a question of my best liked book read recently, I said Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, which I was told astonished the choosing panel as being the only one that was not what they likely wanted to hear.  Pretty sure my GPA was the lowest of the entire group.  Just a little background in how it worked.)    I'd like to think that my quite vocal protestations way back then resulted in this enlightened view that speakers should be free to think and write for themselves, but I don't think we believe that God created the the anomalies in the way our bodies work:  at the most, we just don't know.   But we surely know that God loves this man and wants him to go through life with joy and belief that his full self is loved and accepted.

Edited April 29, 2019 by rpn

[Robert F. Smith]

13 hours ago, bsjkki said:

I figured I would post this since it is making the rounds. I first saw it on Facebook but now it has migrated to political sites. Go figure. https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/441070-byu-student-commencement-speaker-comes-out-as-gay-during-speech

"It was in these quiet moments of pain and confusion that I felt another triumph, that of coming to terms, not with who I thought I should be, but who the Lord has made me," Easton said. "As such, I stand before my family, friends and graduating class today to say that I am proud to be a gay son of God."

Coming out, Easton said to applause, was "a phenomenal feeling, and it is a victory for me in and of itself."

I read BYU approved his speech ahead of time.

Extraordinary !!

[MustardSeed]

17 hours ago, bsjkki said:

I read BYU approved his speech ahead of time.

This is what I came for.  Not asking for cfr but I’ll keep looking for it.

When I was selected as a covaladectorian they asked what I would talk about if I was selected.  I recall replying “I don’t know yet, but it won’t be boring.”  I wasn’t chosen .  They had me do a musical number instead, which was pretty cool.  But I am sure FHSS , which houses all the psych departments has been abuzz.  👍

Edited April 29, 2019 by MustardSeed

[The Nehor]

This kid is doomed. Not because he is gay or came out during the speech. It is because the poor kid got a degree in political science.

[MustardSeed]

12 minutes ago, The Nehor said:

This kid is doomed. Not because he is gay or came out during the speech. It is because the poor kid got a degree in political science.

Lol... hopefully is headed for a masters.  My child is attending and I pray daily that he will go on from his useless major. 

Then again, my major was The Most ridiculous. I’m too embarrassed to claim it. 

[The Nehor]

4 minutes ago, MustardSeed said:

Lol... hopefully is headed for a masters.  My child is attending and I pray daily that he will go on from his useless major. 

Then again, my major was The Most ridiculous. I’m too embarrassed to claim it. 

To make it clear I am not punching down my degree is in English Literature.....though at the time even we had a higher expected salary then a Political Science Major.

[Robert F. Smith]

2 hours ago, The Nehor said:

This kid is doomed. Not because he is gay or came out during the speech. It is because the poor kid got a degree in political science.

OTOH, some students use that as a pre-law degree.  Take Ben Shapiro, for example.  Surely, being a gay Mormon can be parlayed into a high diversity score for an ivy league law school.  Maybe full scholarship.  

[bsjkki]

Here you go,

“He considered giving a traditional upbeat valedictorian post, but consulted his parents and decided to talk about sexuality in his speech, he told the Post. The dean's office signed off on the speech, telling him to "go for it."

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.usatoday.com/amp/3615629002

"So when people started clapping, it was a little overwhelming," he said. "To have a group that I had for so long thought would hate me or ostracize me actually celebrate and accept me, it was awesome."

 

Edited April 29, 2019 by bsjkki

[bsjkki]

This story is spreading rapidly and widely. CBS, NBC, Washington Post, USA Today, Fox News, and the AP have all done stories. I think it reflects positively on BYU.

[carbon dioxide]

1 hour ago, Robert F. Smith said:

OTOH, some students use that as a pre-law degree.  Take Ben Shapiro, for example.  Surely, being a gay Mormon can be parlayed into a high diversity score for an ivy league law school.  Maybe full scholarship.  

He would have had to come out as transgender to get the full scholarship.

[Kenngo1969]

I'm not necessarily critiquing or disagreeing with what this young man did.  More power to him, and I'm glad the audience reacted as it did: I would join in that reaction.  That said, I do think we need to get away from saying, "I'm an [x] son [or daughter] of God," whatever the [x] is.  If I am a Son or a Daughter of God, then I am a Son or a Daughter of God ... period.  That's the only thing that matters.  Once I come to the realization that I'm a Son of God, then the [x], whatever it is, ceases to matter.  If I continue to aver that "I'm an [x] Son of God," there is always the danger (however slight, and however unintended or unforeseen it may have been when I began using that phrase, that qualifier [x]) that, eventually, the "Son of God" will begin to matter less and less until it ceases to matter, and the [x] qualifier will begin to matter more and more until it becomes the only thing that matters.

Edited April 30, 2019 by Kenngo1969

[longview]

20 hours ago, The Nehor said:

This kid is doomed. Not because he is gay or came out during the speech. It is because the poor kid got a degree in political science.

Hmmm?  Is it because that could lead him to becoming a social engineer in the Deep State?   

[The Nehor]

21 minutes ago, longview said:

Hmmm?  Is it because that could lead him to becoming a social engineer in the Deep State?   

If you are going to make up fictitious organizations you can just use the Illuminati or the Lollipop Guild.

[toon]

3 hours ago, Kenngo1969 said:

I'm not necessarily critiquing or disagreeing with what this young man did.  More power to him, and I'm glad the audience reacted as it did: I would join in that reaction.  That said, I do think we need to get away from saying, "I'm an [x] son [or daughter] of God," whatever the [x] is.  If I am a Son or a Daughter of God, then I am a Son or a Daughter of God ... period.  That's the only thing that matters.  Once I come to the realization that I'm a Son of God, then the [x], whatever it is, ceases to matter.  If I continue to aver that "I'm an [x] Son of God," there is always the danger (however slight, and however unintended or unforeseen it may have been when I began using that phrase, that qualifier [x]) that, eventually, the "Son of God" will begin to matter less and less until it ceases to matter, and the [x] qualifier will begin to matter more and more until it becomes the only thing that matters.

I don't disagree. The problem, however, is that many in the Church still do -- that if you're not a particular type of x son/daughter of God, you somehow count for less. Coming out and identifying with the qualifier can help dispel that notion. At a minimum, and so long as that notion exists, this act may help those who also identify as x feel that they are welcome, or at least welcome among a few.

[MustardSeed]

I’m a working mom beloved daughter of God. 

 

Yep.... that DOES feel good. 

[The Nehor]

I am a lonely depressed semi-tolerated Son of God. No.....that did not feel so good.  

[MustardSeed]

8 minutes ago, The Nehor said:

I am a lonely depressed semi-tolerated Son of God. No.....that did not feel so good.  

Too many of those already acceptable in the pews.  

On a more personal note, I do hope the loneliness proves temporary.  

[Kenngo1969]

3 hours ago, The Nehor said:

I am a lonely depressed semi-tolerated Son of God. No.....that did not feel so good.  

 

3 hours ago, MustardSeed said:

Too many of those already acceptable in the pews.  

On a more personal note, I do hope the loneliness proves temporary.  

I hear you,  The Nehor.  The fonts of our loneliness and semi-toleratedness are different, but I hear you.  That said, why am I reminded of this exchange from God's Army?  Each of the parties is trying to drum up, ummm, business with the other:

Carla (Working Girl): "Are you lonely today, Elder?"

Elder Dalton: "I'm lonely every day.  Did you read that book I gave you?"

[The Nehor]

1 hour ago, Kenngo1969 said:

 

I hear you,  The Nehor.  The fonts of our loneliness and semi-toleratedness are different, but I hear you.  That said, why am I reminded of this exchange from God's Army?  Each of the parties is trying to drum up, ummm, business with the other:

Carla (Working Girl): "Are you lonely today, Elder?"

Elder Dalton: "I'm lonely every day.  Did you read that book I gave you?"

Playing with my sugar gliders made me less lonely even though Arwen peed on me......twice.

[longview]

11 hours ago, The Nehor said:

If you are going to make up fictitious organizations you can just use the Illuminati or the Lollipop Guild.

As you might have surmised, I am leaning more to the emoticon that I used in my previous post.  Which is the Borg Collective:  "We are Borg.  You will be assimilated."

[strappinglad]

resistance is fruitful...I mean futile. 

[Kenngo1969]

2 hours ago, The Nehor said:

Playing with my sugar gliders made me less lonely even though Arwen peed on me......twice.

I have no idea what that means, but I repped it anyway because you said it made you less lonely.  

[The Nehor]

3 minutes ago, Kenngo1969 said:

I have no idea what that means, but I repped it anyway because you said it made you less lonely.  

My pets. Here is Arwen jumping to my hand.

https://imgur.com/6VSocce

[Tacenda]

47 minutes ago, The Nehor said:

My pets. Here is Arwen jumping to my hand.

https://imgur.com/6VSocce

I love the name Arwen, where did you find that name? Also, are sugar gliders nice little animals, or kind of mean like the ferrets?