PROVO, Utah — A controversial talk given by a high-ranking leader from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2021 is now "required learning" for incoming freshmen at Brigham Young University, and LGBTQ+ groups on campus say it is dangerous.
The Salt Lake Tribune reports that starting next fall, BYU will require all incoming freshmen to read Latter-day Saint apostle Jeffrey R. Holland's so-called "musket fire" speech in a class known as "BYU Foundations for Student Success," which aims to help students understand the "unique mission and purpose" of the university.
The original talk was delivered by Holland in 2021, and criticized faculty members and students who challenge the faith's teachings when it comes to family and marriage as that between a man and a woman. He added that they should take up their "intellectual muskets" to defend the teachings of the LDS faith.
"This talk is one of the most recent examples of a very explicit and implicit message that queer students don't belong on campus," said Gracee Purcell, president of the RaYnbow Collective, a non-profit support group for LGBTQ+ BYU students.
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In a statement to The Salt Lake Tribune, BYU says course materials involve several important and significant addresses that have been given at the school. The class was tested as a pilot program during the winter semester, which the university says was well-received.
"When you sign the Honor Code, there's other things you know that you're agreeing to," said Lydia McPhee, a BYU student currently in her second semester. "If they require [the class] as part of the admissions process, I would probably agree with that and be happy to participate."
Students like Rachel Billings, vice president of the RaYnbow Collective, see things differently.
"I was a student when the speech was originally given," says Billings. "I remember in the days after it was given there was just a tangible hurt in the community."
Both Billings and Purcell say the speech has become a bit of a call-to-arms for those critical of efforts to advocate for civil rights for the LGBTQ+ community, particularly those who attend or live near BYU. A recent example includes an incident where a group of protesters showed up to a back-to-school Pride event held by the RaYnbow Collective in back in September with an assortment of weapons.
In the same statement to the Tribune, BYU says welcome LGBTQ+ students, calling their campus an "environment of covenant belonging."
"It's really devastating that students in one of their very first experiences at BYU will get this messaging that either they don't belong, the people they love don't belong, the people they're friends with don't belong," says Billings. "especially in a university that talks so much about belonging.
The RaYnbow Collective says they've launched an email campaign directed at the university's decisions, including BYU President C. Shane Reese. They also suggest similar LGBTQ+ support groups band together and try to support members of their community who may be fearful of what could come in the future.
"We can't really advocate for policy change," says Purcell. "But we can really hold each other tightly."
