Activist Writing
Letter to the editor at Salt Lake Tribune
It gets better, leave BYU.
The video posted to ‘Gay BYU students to Mormon youth: It gets better’ has received over
350,000 plays on Youtube in a matter of one week. I attended BYU as a gay student at one time,
and can sympathize with the struggle that each of them share in this video.
This video, made by the unofficial student organization, USGA does not mark change within
the LDS church, but only the attitude of some members. In fact, USGA exists to help LDS
students recover from traumatic upbringings. Most of the students in the video expressed their
attempts or desire to commit suicide. None of these students should have ever had to feel that
way.
BYU is allowing its students to identify as gay, but does not allow for them ‘act out’ on it. If
there is ever major change within the LDS church’s doctrine concerning homosexuality it will
not be for a very long time. This video shows BYU students who are waiting on the LDS church
to change. That will not happen. I do not believe that BYU leaves any options for LGBTQ
students to be themselves.
Brent Colbert
