BYU Graduate Shows Her 'True Colors' by Sewing Rainbow Flag into Graduation Gown: 'I Will Not Hide'
Courtesy Jillian Orr
For one Brigham Young University student, graduation day wasn't just about getting a degree.
Jillian Orr, who attended the private university in Utah sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, added an extra special touch to her graduation gown: a rainbow flag. On the big day, she had a smile on her face as she opened her gown to reveal the flag underneath — all of which was captured on a Jumbotron.
Orr, who is bisexual, opened up about how the moment came to be in a TikTok video that went viral, and has been viewed over 4 million times as of Wednesday afternoon.
Listen below to an interview with Jillian Orr on our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.
"At BYU it's against the honor code to be in a homosexual relationship," the 28-year-old wrote over footage of the gown creation process.
"If you are discovered to be dating or just holding hands there are severe consequences," she stated. "Students are afraid to be who they are so they hide out of fear until they get out. I will not hide. I will be seen in front of the entire school."
Courtesy Jillian Orr
BYU website states that "any same-sex romantic behavior is a violation of the principles of the Honor Code."
A representative from BYU did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
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Orr, who said one of her sisters helped with the actual sewing, told Today that the last thing she remembered about the actual ceremony was handing her name card to the announcer.
"I swear I blacked out. I texted my sister and said, 'What happened? Did I just do it?' " she told the outlet.
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In another video posted on TikTok, Orr shared that she actually received her diploma back in January and that she was not sure if the school can revoke it based on what happened during Friday's ceremony. She said while she knew there could potentially be consequences, she was "ready to face whatever."
Speaking with Good Morning America on Wednesday, Orr said that she had not heard from the school.
Courtesy Jillian Orr
In a recent social media post, Orr went into more depth about why it was important to her to show her "true colors."
"While making my way through the crowd after the ceremony another graduate stopped me and she said 'my girlfriend saw you on live tv and was so proud of you! I had to meet you, thank you for doing this!'" she wrote.
"It's hard being gay at BYU. I didn't know I identified as bisexual until half way through and it's scary to live with the fear that any moment they could take away your degree," she added. "You can't be in a relationship unless you're hetero and most of my classes spoke of the 'evil' that I was born into. Today I took a chance and sent a message to other students - you can make it too! Be authentic, brave, and unapologetically you!"
Courtesy Jillian Orr
Orr told GMA that she used to be a devout Mormon, which is one of the reasons why she chose to attend BYU.
"I was like, 'Oh, let's go to BYU' because they have the best psychology program in the state," Orr, a psychology major, told the outlet. "It's the most affordable for those who are LDS [Latter-Day Saints] members. It's cheaper for those of that religion. And so I started going to that school and I actually had a positive experience."
Orr told GMA that she began to discover that was not straight in the spring of 2020. Although she personally felt "confident and proud," she said that "it was painful that I was in an environment that taught something that was against what I knew is true and what our basic rights were."
Although she may face consequences for what happened during the graduation ceremony, Orr told the outlet that she feels "so much happier now."
"I can finally live authentically," she said.
