Image credit: Matty Easton’s Twitter (@easton_matty)
Brigham Young University — which has a less-than-stellar record with LGBTQ students — now has an out gay valedictorian.
Matty Easton, a political science major, came out during his valedictory speech at the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences. In front of friends, family, and fellow students, Easton talked about the journey he went through before coming to this point.
“As I’m sure many of you have felt, I recall countless times here at BY where I have battled and fought in prayer with my maker,” he said. “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.”
He went on to say, “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. I am not broken. I am loved and important in the plan of our great creator. Each of us are.”
Watch the video below:
On his Twitter account, Easton thanked Brigham Young University for allowing him the opportunity to do this on stage.
I am grateful to @byu_fhss for allowing me to share my authentic and vulnerable self to so many in our college.
— Matty Easton (@easton_matty) April 27, 2019
All that said, Brigham Young University has often been hostile towards its LGBTQ students. The university’s strict honor code once prohibited LGBTQ students from stating their sexual orientation, a rule that was only changed in 2007. A section of the honor code that banned “the advocacy of homosexual behavior” was only removed in 2010. The Salt Lake Tribune also reported in 2016 that rather than side with LGBTQ assault survivors, the honor code often chose the side of those who sexually assaulted LGBTQ people instead.
To any of our Adam4Adam blog readers do you feel this is the start of bigger change at Brigham Young University? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.
He bequeathed to himself, a graduation gift, filled with momentary illumination but forever invisibility.
A mere fleck upon the face of Humanity!
Well, he’ll be able to dine out on this longer than Anita Hill has. Tactically brilliant. You’ll fête him and use him as the poster boy in all your plans to destroy the West.
Then, when he’s 40, he’ll espouse traditional values and regret his earlier behaviour (graduation wasn’t ably him), and you’ll drop him faster than you did with Christine Blasey Ford after you used her.
Just another shill for the Glorious Cause.
Your lack of foresight is astounding.
The forever sycophant, representing the ultra conservative perspective and espousing all that is evil on the opposite side . . . what are you doing here reading THIS blog if the story above doesn’t speak to any part of you? Oh, that’s right, shilling for YOUR glorious cause, only seriously doubt you are of the crab mentality, since all you’ve done is yank down the other crabs trying to climb out of the basket . . .
Does anyone check the addresses of these trolls?
It’s great that he now feels the University’s culture has made it safe for him to announce his sexuality to the world. The announcement was probably already known to many who know him. Not sure, personally, if the Commencement Speech was an appropriate venue and audience for that, but it was his choice, of course, to make his statement whenever and wherever he wished.
Who cares about BYU? Haters gonna hate.
Good for Matty ! ! !
Absolutely amazing that there are no comments. Congrats to Matty Easton – Perhaps now many more in his class as well as all of BYU will fess up to the fact that there are Gay folks everywhere.
I hope it is the start of more change. None of us can truly follow God unless we love every one, no matter who, what or where.
Thank you for posting this article.
“start of bigger change at Brigham Young University”
Nope. Institutions like BY exist to reinforce the worldview of its students and its leaders are highly motivated to keep doing that. As Upton Sinclair famously said:
“It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it”
….Sad, glaring reality, that just immediately makes one feel something… less… It’s just so big, the realization of how insidious/evil some people really are. This just really resonates for me, it really is profound, that statement.
The LDS church is not anti-gay. In fact, quite the opposite given their most recent stance. Stop bashing religion, Dave, just because you’re so hatefully intolerant of people of faith. You should be giving a high-five for the recent tolerant stance the church adopted .
From the LDS site:
Sexual relations between a man and woman who are not married, or between people of the same sex, violate one of our Father in Heaven’s most important laws and get in the way of our eternal progress.
Good point. The LDS just passed a new policy to let gay parents have their kids baptized.
The whole stunt seems to be a bit self-serving. Easton and his classmates were literally on their way out the door. Were the BY underclassmen present at the graduation? I doubt it. So, is he supposed to be a hero for discussing LGBQT at this point?
He will write a book, blog and/or some articles. There is nothing out of the ordinary about a former missionary coming out. They are anything but butch in the first place.
Brave kid. Public speaking is scary enough on its own without adding uncomfortable dialog with a potentially hostile audience.
What’s brave about making yourself bulletproof in the eyes of academe, media, and Silicon Valley? Being brave would be a speech about the opposite.
I tip my dreads, to this brave, bold, classy young man! I’ll bet that felt wonderful.
He was already “out” secondly his remarks were approved by this “anti” Lbgtpqrstuv or whatever school.
Sounds like whoever came up with this headline needs a refresher course in reading comprehension.
Since the school reviews valedictorian speeches and has to approve them, I think this is a sign of growth. Slowly the world is starting to grow up and understand that who you make love to is simply not important in a world full of larger issues.
Anti gay? I think they are a religious school aren’t they? I doubt that most of them actually hate gay people. Meanwhile, there are more and more people gaining popularity in the country, some of them in congress, who are part of a religion that actually STONES TO DEATH, gay people. They are given a complete pass because they are democrat. That is the real ridiculousness.
How very true ,,,,
This is wonderful!
Former Mormon missionary is gay. Why is this not surprising?
congrats and good job. Wouldn’t be easy to do. However on a more personal side, it makes that whole Mormon porn fetish vids even more realistic. (i have played around with 2 ex-mormons in the past and they were both hot men)
Hi, I met Matt here in Las Vegas at our Gay Center here and he joined us for dinner afterward. What a great guy and a true leader he is and for sure very Brave. What an example he sets for young gay men coming up and or out. At the time I met Matt he was working on then, Mayor Pete’s campaign, as he had majored in Political Science, am sure one day he’ll be a political leader of some sort and or an elected position and really be able to make a difference. Congratulations again Matt for being… Read more »
I wonder what made him think the audience was interested in what makes his Dick hard?