The Mormon Church’s official teaching on homosexuality is that it gay behavior is sinful, but like their evangelical counterparts, have largely abandoned the notion that homosexual desires are sinful. Like when they adjusted their policy on polygamy in accordance to U.S. law, however, the Mormon Church has been quickly rolling back anti-gay policies since Obergfell vs. Hodges. In just the law few months, they have removed homosexuality from the list of “apostasy” sins and agreed to bless the children of LGBTQ unions. Now, the Valedictorian of Brigham Young University – the largest and most prominent Mormon-affiliated college in the world – chose to use his graduation speech to “come out of the closet.”
Matty Easton was a political science major, and announced that he was “proud to be a gay son of God,” he did not receive boos or silence from the Mormon crowd, but thunderous applause.
Easton used his speech to say, “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…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.”
He continued, “Four years ago it would have been impossible for me to imagine that I would come out to my entire college,” he added. “It is a phenomenal feeling and it is a victory for me in and of itself.”
Celebrities and progressive leaders are applauding the dramatic scene from around the world.
You can watch the video below.