BYU Is Known For Their Previous Anti-Gay "Honor Code," So This Student Flashed Her Graduating Class With A Pride Flag

As recently as February 2020, students at Brigham Young University — commonly known as BYU — were celebrating the institution's decision to overturn their campus-wide ban on "homosexual behavior," which could have resulted in an investigation and even expulsion under the school's Honor Code.

"At BYU, it [was] against the honor code to be in a homosexual relationship," recent BYU graduate Jillian Orr said in a now-viral video that has captured the attention of over 6.6 million people. "If you are discovered to be in a homosexual relationship, there are severe consequences."

As Jillian explains this reality that was part of her own matriculation at BYU, viewers watch as her sister carefully sews a Pride flag inside the 28-year-old's graduation gown.

"[BYU officials] threaten to take away your degree and kick you out of the university," she continues explaining through text over her video, as clips of her sister smiling at their handywork play across the screen. "Students are afraid to be who they are. So they hide out of fear until they get out."

"I will not hide," Jillian concludes before flashing the screen with her new, decked-out robe. "I will be seen."

On graduation day, as Jillian strutted down the stage to accept her degree, she opened the gown widely for everyone to see — earning herself a nickname: The BYU Student Who Flashed the World.

After her display, BuzzFeed reached out to Jillian to learn more about her story and clear up a few pressing questions viewers flooded her comment section with — starting with why Jillian decided to attend BYU despite the Mormon church's stance against "homosexual behavior."

For those who don't know, the church differentiates same-sex attraction from homosexual behavior. According to their website, same-sex attraction is viewed as an unavoidable reality some worshippers may experience that is not a sin by itself, but "sexual relations are reserved for a man and woman who are married" and "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."

In Jillian's experience, she told BuzzFeed, "I didn’t realize I was bisexual when I chose to attend BYU, so I was unaware of the rules when it came to that because it didn’t affect me," she said. "I realized halfway through, when I was stuck."

When speaking of her life before BYU and how it played into her decision to attend the school, Jillian said: "I was an extremely active LDS member [and] because we pay tithing, members get a cheaper tuition rate."

And as for a third contributing factor toward her attendance, she said, "[BYU] has one of the best psychology programs in the state, and I was going into psychology."

Halfway through her studies, Jillian came out as bi to close friends and family, and she began struggling with assignments that centered around homosexuality being perceived as wrong. "I struggled when my grades were affected by it, with tests and papers I had to write. I felt I betrayed myself when I had to write about why marriage is between a man and a women only. That was painful."

So, when graduation rolled around, Jillian said, "I wanted to advocate for others that had struggled to be seen at the university like I had been," she said. "I wanted to show them that they could make it out like I did."

This was the origin of her and her sister's plan. "My sister wanted me to make a statement but also do it in a civil manner. A protest in a civil manner to be seen for myself and for others at BYU," she explained, reminiscing on how the two came up with their idea of sewing the Pride flag into her gown's inner lining.

Then, with the flag tucked inside, Jillian recalled feeling "extremely nervous" when it was time to take the stage. "I wasn’t sure if they were going to escort me off the stage, tackle me, or just have some words with me afterwards. Leading up to it, I knew that I wanted to do it, so I just had to commit."

After flashing the school with a giant smile across her face, Jillian remembers one student approaching her after. "[She] told me her girlfriend had seen me and was so grateful. She wanted to tell me thank you and that she was grateful for what I did."

"All I hoped was that the students who had struggled like I had struggled would feel seen. When that graduate student told me about her and her girlfriend and how much that meant to them, I felt completely fulfilled, and I would’ve been happy if nobody else had said anything after that."

Though many commenters expressed concern about retaliation from the school or a hold on her degree, Jillian confirmed that she has received her diploma, which is proudly displayed on a shelf in her bedroom.

If you'd like to keep up with Jillian and her journey through post-grad life, you can follow her on TikTok.