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Latest BYU Controversy: Pamphlets and Drag Shows (RaYnbow Collective)


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Posted

Funny how news outlets can "spin" a story one way or another.

Fox 13 News: Groups claim BYU removed LGBTQ+ resources meant for incoming students

Quote

PROVO, Utah — Thousands of new students arrived on the campus of BYU this week, and according to some, they should have received welcome material complete with LGBTQ+ resources.

But that didn't happen.

The founder of the RaYnbow Collective, a non-profit aimed at creating safe spaces for LGBTQ+ students, faculty and staff at BYU, said she worked with multiple organizations to provide information to students in pamphlets put into welcome bags.

I am assuming here that "welcome bags" are some sort of quasi-official things distributed to new students on campus.  In other words, BYU would have the final say in terms of what materials are distributed to new students (at least through "official" channels and/or on campus).

Quote

What happened instead, Maddison Tenney claims, is that the materials were taken out of the welcome bags and some were destroyed.

"I remember as a freshman not knowing any resources. Being too religious for the gay community and too gay for the religious community, and not feeling like I had a place," said Tenney.

She says when she came back from her mission, she didn't want anyone else to feel that same way. It's why Tenney says she felt like she needed to get the information into the hands of incoming freshmen this week.

"They just need to know that they’re not alone," explained Tenney.

So the materials from the RaYnbow Collective are intended to help students "know that they're not alone."

Seems pretty legit.  So why would BYU remove the pamphlets?

Quote

A BYU spokesperson confirmed the material was removed, saying it "came through the advertising section of the student newspaper, was being distributed through residential buildings on campus, the decision was made to remove some materials from an organization outside the university."

Not quite following this.  "Maddison Tenney" is referencing "pamphlets put into welcome bags," but BYU is referencing "material" included in "the advertising section of the student newspaper ... being distributed through residential buildings on campus."

Jillian's TikTok video is here.  Some details from it:

  • She references "welcome baskets" for new BYU students.
  • She says that "in them {the welcome baskets}, they {BYU} made a contract with LGBTQ clubs (the "OUT Foundation," "USGA," "Cougar Pride" and "RaYnbow Collective") which are "not affiliated with BYU," but which create a "booklet" created by these groups, and that 50+ volunteers spent "hundreds of hours" creating this booklet "full of resources, of housing, of scholarships, of therapy resources, for LGBTQ youth that are going to BYU," and that BYU "broke their contract" with these groups and "destroyed them {the booklets/pamphlets}" by taking them out of the "baskets."
  • She expresses anger, saying that she is "so mad at BYU right now," that BYU is "sending a message" to both current and "new students," that she is "furious" at BYU, and that she does not understand "how BYU can continue to isolate and to separate and segregate those who are in that community," and that this "is unacceptable." 
  • She says that BYU "does not affiliate themselves with any of these organizations, nor do they support any of these clubs," and that these clubs are comprised of BYU students "who are actively trying to make a difference and support these {LGBT} students."

Wow.  So what is BYU doing, and why?

Quote

The removal caught the attention of other LGBTQ+ advocates like Jillian Orr, whose show of the rainbow flag under her gown at graduation gained her worldwide attention.

"It was meant for them to be seen and me, who is a part of that community, to be seen," Orr said.

She added that allowing the marginalized LGBTQ+ community on campus to be seen and not silenced is her goal.

Though a TikTok video posted she posted Thursday, Orr said the pamphlets were "full of resources, of housing, of scholarships, of therapy resources, for LGBTQ youth that are going to BYU."

So in addition to the pamphlets helping students "know that they're not alone," they were also "full of resources, of housing, of scholarships, of therapy resources, for LGBTQ youth that are going to BYU."

Again, seems pretty legit.  Again, why would BYU remove the pamphlets?

Quote

"Today BYU broke their contract and they destroyed them," she said. "They took them out of those baskets and they destroyed them and I’m so mad. I’m so mad at BYU right now."

I'll be interested to see if there was actually a "contract."

Quote

Within hours, there were thousands of likes and comments on Orr's post, many also expressing their outrage.

"It was blasted so fast," Orr said. "And what it shows is that the reason it’s getting so much attention and traction is because it’s unacceptable. It’s because it’s not okay."

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that stoking "outrage" at BYU (and, presumably, the Church) was the intended purpose of Orr's TikTok video.

Also, yes, this is the same "Jillian Orr" who in April made news headlines about "flashing a rainbow" during graduation ceremonies, and also publicly bragged about having violated the Honor Code, lied to BYU about it, and continued to do so until after she got her heavily-subsidized education and degree from BYU.  And got "worldwide attention" and adulation for doing so.

Quote

The BYU statement provided to FOX 13 News says the school is open and accepting to everyone.

“BYU recognizes and welcomes LGBTQ individuals as part of our broader covenant-keeping university community. We love and welcome our LGBTQ students, employees and friends and want them to feel a sense of belonging as we work together to be true to our covenants and the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”

The school said they were unaware of the gift bag preparation.

Huh.  So far we have mentions of "baskets" and "bags" (likely an immaterial semantic distinction), but also "material" included in "the advertising section of the student newspaper."

BYU is saying that it was "unaware" of the baskets/bags.  

Quote

Below is the complete statement offered by a BYU spokesperson:

BYU recognizes and welcomes LGBTQ individuals as part of our broader covenant-keeping university community. We love and welcome our LGBTQ students, employees and friends and want them to feel a sense of belonging as we work together to be true to our covenants and the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

BYU’s focus is on creating unity and belonging within our campus community. Our Vice President of Belonging Carl Hernandez has been able to meet with the students who created these materials, where they talked about the mission of the new Office of Belonging and the important role students play in creating a sense of unity and belonging on our campus.

We would like our students and employees to utilize our new Office of Belonging as their primary resource in these efforts. When we learned that a bag of promotional materials, which came through the advertising section of the student newspaper, was being distributed through residential buildings on campus, the decision was made to remove some materials from an organization outside of the university.

Ah.  So it sounds like the gift baskets/bags were being distributed on campus along with the student paper.  That makes sense.

Quote

Residence Life and New Student Orientation were not involved in preparing these bags and were not aware of the contents until after they had been distributed to some on-campus resident halls.

The decision to remove the materials by Student Life was based on the university’s commitment to provide support through the Office of Belonging and our counseling services and not to allow outside entities to imply affiliation with or endorsement from the university.

Huh.  So was there a "contract" as Jillian Orr claims?  With these "outside entities?"  Did BYU obligate itself to allow distribution of the "materials" on campus?  Did BYU thereafter breach that obligation?

Quote

The student newspaper is reviewing its approval process for advertising content, and it has reimbursed the person who placed these ads for the materials and advertising costs. Many of these flyers have also been returned to the students who created them.

A little confusing, this.  BYU's statement references "a bag of promotional materials, which came through the advertising section of the student newspaper," and here it is referencing "ads for the materials and advertising costs."

Anyway, pay attention to the reference to "advertising content" here. 

Another news outlet, Pink News UK, has a similar story: Mormon university tears up support for LGBTQ+ students already forced to live in the closet

Some excerpts:

Quote

John Valdez, the executive director of The OUT Foundation which supports LGBTQ+ alumni and current students of BYU, told PinkNews: “BYU’s policies are harmful to the emotional and intellectual development of queer students on campus.”

“Queer students are often othered and made to feel less than their heteronormative peers. Queer relationships are banned; if a student dares to explore a relationship, in what is normally considered to be an integral part of the college experience, they also risk losing their access to their education, on-campus jobs, and even housing.”

Valdez of OUT Foundation added: “Queer expression is not allowed on campus; protests surrounding homophobic policies, exploration of gender identity, and even queer-centric art have all been shut down by the university.”

Kinda understandable why BYU would not want to have OUT Foundation materials distributed, through official and authorized means, to new students on campus.

Another news outlet, The Advocate: BYU Removes LGBTQ+ Resource Pamphlet For Incoming Freshmen

Some excerpts:

Quote

Brigham Young University confirmed it pulled hundreds of LGBTQ+ resources pamphlets from orientation bags provided to incoming freshmen this semester.

The pamphlet, entitled “Allyship & Activism Resource Guide: LGBTQ+ Edition,” was created by the off-campus LGBTQ+ support group RaYnbow Collective and was approved by the student newspaper, The Daily Universe, as well as multiple professors, according to a report in The Salt Lake Tribune. The pamphlet included information on counseling, scholarships, and resource advisers. RaYnbow Collective paid $200 in printing charges to the Universe, which was subsequently refunded by the newspaper.

Some of the pamphlets were allegedly thrown into the trash.

“This decision is disappointing and disheartening, especially when we consider our experiences as freshmen feeling lonely, isolated, and unsupported as queer students,” RaYnbow Collective posted to Twitter. “Unfortunately, it follows a consistent pattern of BYU breaking its promises and agreements with LGBTQ+ students.”

Anyway, back to the questions about what BYU did, and why.  Per the above articles, the "materials" in question seem pretty innocuous, right?  "Resources" for students, that's all.  What's wrong with that?

Well . . . take a look (from The Federalist) : Utah LGBT Group Sponsors ‘All Ages’ Back-to-School Drag Show With Inappropriately Named Performers

Quote

A Utah nonprofit is sponsoring a “Back to School Pride Drag Extravaganza” on Saturday with performers whose names sound like “**** leakage” and “genitalia” when pronounced.

The "nonprofit" referenced here is the RaYnbow Collective (see hyperlink in "sponsoring").

Quote

The Provo-based LGBT group, “RaYnbow Collective,” is promoting the performance as an “ALL AGES, Family-Friendly Drag Show” on its flyers.

Happening in UTAH: “ALL AGES, Family-Friendly” Back-to-School drag show happening Saturday. Performers include (when sounded out) “**** Leakage” and “Genitalia” WTF?

Fbg2vAiX0AYVD43?format=jpg&name=900x900

Yep. 

"Ana Lee Kage" = "**** leakage."

"Jenna Tailia" = "genitalia."

Is this the "flyer" that was being distributed on campus?  To incoming BYU students?

Are there reasonable grounds for BYU to take exception to the distribution of such materials to its students?  On its own property?  Through official channels (delivered, it seems, as an advertisement insert in the student newspaper)?

Also, I can't help but notice that none of the first three news outlets (Fox 13, Pink News, the Advocate) made any mention of the content of the above advertisement, and instead characterized BYU as having removed a "pamphlet" with "resources." 

Back to the Advocate:

Quote
 
We are saddened by the actions BYU has taken against its LGBTQ students, and are in the process of working through this. Full statement, for easier reading, is in the thread below:
 
 
Image

Still no mention of the advertisement for the drag show with participants who have sexually explicit stage names.

Quote

“The heartbreaking part is that this is the [LGBTQ+ student] experience being at BYU,” Maddison Tenney, founder of RaYnbow Collective, told the Tribune. “You have this beautiful community, and you love the school so much, and they just don’t love you back.”

BYU spokesperson Carri Jenkins admitted to the Tribune the school pulled the pamphlets, saying administrators were not aware it was included in the bags and that the pamphlet was ultimately pulled because it came from an outside group. According to Jenkins, BYU provides “support through the Office of Belonging and our counseling services” rather than allowing “outside entities to imply affiliation with or endorsement from the university.”

Jenkins went on to say the school will review the approval process with the newspaper.

"'{Y}ou love the school so much, and they just don't love you back."

So BYU can only express "love" by distributing to new students on campus an ad for a drag show with performers having stage names like "Ana Lee Kage" and "Jenna Tailia"?  

I think . . . not.

Another article (from Turning Point USA) : BYU LGBTQ Group Hosts ‘Family Friendly’ Back to School Drag Show for ‘All Ages’

Some excerpts:

Quote

In Provo, Utah on September 3rd, the group Raynbow Collective will be hosting a “family friendly” and “all ages” drag show to celebrate the back to school season. Featured guests listed by the group include individuals with the stage names “Ana Lee Page” and “Jenna Tailia.”

Fbg2vAiX0AYVD43?format=jpg&name=900x900

 

‼️DRAG SHOW LINEUP‼️

We’re so excited to announce the lineup for our Back To School Pride Drag Show! We have some incredible Queens and Kings who will be performing, starting at 6 pm at Kiwani’s Park!

For those of you who have never attended a drag show before, here is a quick etiquette rundown:

❤️ Tip the queens! We will have both venmo handles and cash collection for each queen/king.

🧡 Respect the performers’ space! No one appreciated unsolicited touching.

💛Be actively engaged in the show! Like all performance arts, the performers and audience work off of each other. More energy = better show for everyone involved!

💚 The Queens and Kings are performing for everyone, not just you. Of course engage with the show, but don’t try to take over!

💙 Respect EVERYONE. This is a safe space for people to express and experiment with their identities— you included!

💜 Have fun!! This is the ultimate place to express yourself, appreciate art, and find your own community!

Hello friends! We are so excited for our upcoming pride event! As you know, we are a non-profit, funded entirely by the kindness and generosity of our community. Because of this, we operate entirely on a volunteer basis. Back To School Pride Night is going to be HUGE, so our volunteer need is huge as well!

Volunteering with us is super easy, and there is no prior experience required. The shifts are all 2-3 hours, with many choices between where you can go! Many of the food trucks that we’ll have are donating meal vouchers for our volunteers as well, so you’ll get a free meal along with some free RaYnbow Collective merch! If you’re interested, click the link in our description to sign up!

#raynbowcollective #pride #gay #backtoschool #byu #byulgbtq #lgbtqia #provo #lgbtqutah #rainbow #pridenight22 #byugrad #byupride2022 #byupride #utahpride #pridemarch #queer #provo #lgbtq #BackToSchoolPride2022 #drag #queens #dragshow #dragqueen
2w

And more:

Quote

I recommend taking a moment to sound out a few of those stage names — they are abhorrently inappropriate for children and are definitely not “family friendly” as advertised.

If you are in the Provo, Utah area, you better check this out, I also recommend letting the Instagram page know how you feel about this abuse of children, I did!

Screen-Shot-2022-08-31-at-2.27.48-PM.png

Others commented as well:

Screen-Shot-2022-08-31-at-2.29.10-PM.png

Screen-Shot-2022-08-31-at-2.29.50-PM.png

 

Evidently, the group couldn’t handle the minor criticism they received and began removing negative comments.

Rainbow Collective has also posted images meant to somehow appeal to Christians by nearly claiming that what they are doing is Christ-like. “Christ was excluded for including” one post reads:

 

They are invoking Jesus Christ against BYU because BYU is declining to allow distribution of an advertisement to new students on campus about a drag show with performers having names like "Ana Lee Kage" and "Jenna Tailia."

We are living in strange times.

Also, the first three articles advertising the "outrage" narrative against BYU all came to me through my semi-automated Google News search.  Meanwhile, the Federalist and Turning Point articles did not, and I had to go out and hunt them down.  It's almost as if there is a preferred narrative and a less-than-preferred one.

Anyway, thoughts?

Thanks,

-Smac

Posted
1 hour ago, smac97 said:

Funny how news outlets can "spin" a story one way or another.

Fox 13 News: Groups claim BYU removed LGBTQ+ resources meant for incoming students

I am assuming here that "welcome bags" are some sort of quasi-official things distributed to new students on campus.  In other words, BYU would have the final say in terms of what materials are distributed to new students (at least through "official" channels and/or on campus).

So the materials from the RaYnbow Collective are intended to help students "know that they're not alone."

Seems pretty legit.  So why would BYU remove the pamphlets?

Not quite following this.  "Maddison Tenney" is referencing "pamphlets put into welcome bags," but BYU is referencing "material" included in "the advertising section of the student newspaper ... being distributed through residential buildings on campus."

Jillian's TikTok video is here.  Some details from it:

  • She references "welcome baskets" for new BYU students.
  • She says that "in them {the welcome baskets}, they {BYU} made a contract with LGBTQ clubs (the "OUT Foundation," "USGA," "Cougar Pride" and "RaYnbow Collective") which are "not affiliated with BYU," but which create a "booklet" created by these groups, and that 50+ volunteers spent "hundreds of hours" creating this booklet "full of resources, of housing, of scholarships, of therapy resources, for LGBTQ youth that are going to BYU," and that BYU "broke their contract" with these groups and "destroyed them {the booklets/pamphlets}" by taking them out of the "baskets."
  • She expresses anger, saying that she is "so mad at BYU right now," that BYU is "sending a message" to both current and "new students," that she is "furious" at BYU, and that she does not understand "how BYU can continue to isolate and to separate and segregate those who are in that community," and that this "is unacceptable." 
  • She says that BYU "does not affiliate themselves with any of these organizations, nor do they support any of these clubs," and that these clubs are comprised of BYU students "who are actively trying to make a difference and support these {LGBT} students."

Wow.  So what is BYU doing, and why?

So in addition to the pamphlets helping students "know that they're not alone," they were also "full of resources, of housing, of scholarships, of therapy resources, for LGBTQ youth that are going to BYU."

Again, seems pretty legit.  Again, why would BYU remove the pamphlets?

I'll be interested to see if there was actually a "contract."

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that stoking "outrage" at BYU (and, presumably, the Church) was the intended purpose of Orr's TikTok video.

Also, yes, this is the same "Jillian Orr" who in April made news headlines about "flashing a rainbow" during graduation ceremonies, and also publicly bragged about having violated the Honor Code, lied to BYU about it, and continued to do so until after she got her heavily-subsidized education and degree from BYU.  And got "worldwide attention" and adulation for doing so.

Huh.  So far we have mentions of "baskets" and "bags" (likely an immaterial semantic distinction), but also "material" included in "the advertising section of the student newspaper."

BYU is saying that it was "unaware" of the baskets/bags.  

Ah.  So it sounds like the gift baskets/bags were being distributed on campus along with the student paper.  That makes sense.

Huh.  So was there a "contract" as Jillian Orr claims?  With these "outside entities?"  Did BYU obligate itself to allow distribution of the "materials" on campus?  Did BYU thereafter breach that obligation?

A little confusing, this.  BYU's statement references "a bag of promotional materials, which came through the advertising section of the student newspaper," and here it is referencing "ads for the materials and advertising costs."

Anyway, pay attention to the reference to "advertising content" here. 

Another news outlet, Pink News UK, has a similar story: Mormon university tears up support for LGBTQ+ students already forced to live in the closet

Some excerpts:

Kinda understandable why BYU would not want to have OUT Foundation materials distributed, through official and authorized means, to new students on campus.

Another news outlet, The Advocate: BYU Removes LGBTQ+ Resource Pamphlet For Incoming Freshmen

Some excerpts:

Anyway, back to the questions about what BYU did, and why.  Per the above articles, the "materials" in question seem pretty innocuous, right?  "Resources" for students, that's all.  What's wrong with that?

Well . . . take a look (from The Federalist) : Utah LGBT Group Sponsors ‘All Ages’ Back-to-School Drag Show With Inappropriately Named Performers

The "nonprofit" referenced here is the RaYnbow Collective (see hyperlink in "sponsoring").

Yep. 

"Ana Lee Kage" = "**** leakage."

"Jenna Tailia" = "genitalia."

Is this the "flyer" that was being distributed on campus?  To incoming BYU students?

Are there reasonable grounds for BYU to take exception to the distribution of such materials to its students?  On its own property?  Through official channels (delivered, it seems, as an advertisement insert in the student newspaper)?

Also, I can't help but notice that none of the first three news outlets (Fox 13, Pink News, the Advocate) made any mention of the content of the above advertisement, and instead characterized BYU as having removed a "pamphlet" with "resources." 

Back to the Advocate:

Still no mention of the advertisement for the drag show with participants who have sexually explicit stage names.

"'{Y}ou love the school so much, and they just don't love you back."

So BYU can only express "love" by distributing to new students on campus an ad for a drag show with performers having stage names like "Ana Lee Kage" and "Jenna Tailia"?  

I think . . . not.

Another article (from Turning Point USA) : BYU LGBTQ Group Hosts ‘Family Friendly’ Back to School Drag Show for ‘All Ages’

Some excerpts:

And more:

They are invoking Jesus Christ against BYU because BYU is declining to allow distribution of an advertisement to new students on campus about a drag show with performers having names like "Ana Lee Kage" and "Jenna Tailia."

We are living in strange times.

Also, the first three articles advertising the "outrage" narrative against BYU all came to me through my semi-automated Google News search.  Meanwhile, the Federalist and Turning Point articles did not, and I had to go out and hunt them down.  It's almost as if there is a preferred narrative and a less-than-preferred one.

Anyway, thoughts?

Thanks,

-Smac

Wow, being at work and didn't notice the names. I'm not liking it too much. Or maybe I need to get my mind out of the gutter. But you broke them down, lol. 😉😒

Posted
33 minutes ago, Tacenda said:

Wow, being at work and didn't notice the names. I'm not liking it too much.

Neither did I.  The articles from pliant news outlets make no mention of either the drag show flyer or the sexually provocative stage names, and instead focus just on the "pamphlets" containing "resources."

33 minutes ago, Tacenda said:

Or maybe I need to get my mind out of the gutter. But you broke them down, lol. 😉😒

I didn't.  The other news articles I found did (I had to go out and look for them, as they were not included in my Google News feed).

But as soon as you see the names, you get the "joke."  

And the joke is not "Family Friendly" or suitable for "All Ages."

Thanks,

-Smac

Posted
45 minutes ago, provoman said:

False claims At lEAsT StaRT a ConVErSAtIoN

"The ends justify the means."  Niccolò Machiavelli.

What could go wrong with that?

;)

Thanks,

-Smac

Posted

I was sad to read about what happened, until I saw a photo of the actual document and that made it instantly clear how it got discarded.   Unless this was made, without supervision, by freshmen students, I tend to wonder whether it was intentionally made to get exactly the reaction it has received ---- outcry.

Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, JustAnAustralian said:

The booklet that was discarded can be viewed at the bottom of this article.

 

 

Quote

Notice

This document has been removed from Scribd.

 

Edited by Hamba Tuhan
Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, Hamba Tuhan said:

This document has been removed from Scribd.

Yeah, when you click through it shows that. Was still showing on the article though. Copy below (it's doubled up because the document had two copies of the pamphlet parts per sheet). 

image.thumb.jpeg.213b34fbac78e2794f79e5b58bf00557.jpeg           image.thumb.jpeg.27f41932d109ccf0008b212a8ef5b5fc.jpeg

Edited by JustAnAustralian
Posted

So apparently there is a new advertisement for the drag show having the entertainers go by just their first names, everyone but notably  “Jenna” and “Ana” in particular.  So recognition there might be quite a few offended by it after all. 

Posted (edited)

More on the Yeshiva University case. 

Nation's oldest Jewish university fighting for religious liberty | Baptist Press

"The ERLC and a collection of nine Baptist, evangelical, Catholic or Mormon institutions filed a friend-of-the-court brief Sept. 2 that asked the high court to block enforcement of a state court’s order that required Yeshiva University to recognize officially a gay and transgender student group. The New York City school had filed an emergency application with the justices requesting a stay of the lower-court order.

“This is a fast-moving case and one that Southern Baptists should be following closely,” said Brent Leatherwood, the ERLC’s acting president. “This religious university is being asked to violate an essential aspect of its mission by recognizing this LGBT club.

“That the New York court is even entertaining this question is a bridge too far,” he told Baptist Press in written comments. “The reality is, the courts have no jurisdiction here, and I am hopeful the emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court and the amicus brief we have joined supporting that appeal will make that abundantly clear. 

“Religious liberty — our first freedom — is, from a legal standpoint, incredibly strong right now. Failing to protect Yeshiva University in this case would be an ominous step backward.”

The coalition that signed onto the brief with the ERLC consisted of Houston Baptist University, Cedarville University, Liberty University, Biola University, Wheaton College, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Archdiocese of New York, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Brigham Young University."

Edited by bsjkki

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