Page 5 - ARUBA TODAY

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U.S. NEWS Thursday 5 March 2020
Mormon-owned BYU: Same-sex romantic behavior still banned

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — caused fury and heart-
Brigham Young University break among LGBTQ stu-
in Utah reiterated Wednes- dents and allies, said for-
day that "same-sex roman- mer BYU student Addison
tic behavior" is not allowed Jenkins, a past president of
on campus — dashing the a campus support group
hopes of LGTBTQ students for gay and lesbian stu-
who thought they could be dents. He called it "cruel" to
more open after the col- dash the hopes of LGBTQ
lege previously revised its students who felt the cam-
code of conduct. pus climate would become
The university owned by more welcoming, and then
The Church of Jesus Christ two weeks later issue this
of Latter-day Saints posted new letter that shows "anti-
a letter online, saying it was queer rules" remain.
clarifying a misinterpreta- "This says: We do not care
tion after it dropped a sec- and we are no longer em-
tion of the code banning barrassed about not caring
behavior that reflected about queer people," Jen-
"homosexual feelings." kins said.
A college administrator Dozens of students gath-
wrote that the recent revi- ered on campus Wednes-
sion doesn't change the day to protest the letter,
"moral standards" of the holding signs such as "Stop
church or the faith's opposi- harming our LGBTQ stu-
tion to same-sex marriage. dents" and "Love one an- In this April 12, 2019, file photo, Sidney Draughon holds a sign as she takes part in a protest in
Provo, Utah, against how the Brigham Young University Honor Code Office investigates and dis-
The letter and an accom- other," The Salt Lake Tribune ciplines students.
panying Q&A posted on- reported. They sang "Love Associated Press
line don't provide details One Another" and chanted
about what romantic be- "Hey hey, ho ho, the Honor horrifying" to marginalize bers that being gay isn't a it was interpreted to be a
haviors are and aren't al- Code has got to go." people based on gender, sin but engaging in same- ban on gay couples hold-
lowed, but seem to shut the On social media, LGTBQ religious preference or sex- sex intimacy is. The faith has ing hands or kissing. Those
door on the notion that gay students expressed sad- ual orientation. tried to be more welcom- behaviors are allowed
and lesbian couples will be ness and anger and openly "I feel like it empowers ing toward LGBTQ people for heterosexual couples,
allowed to kiss and hold spoke of transferring. homophobic rhetoric on over the past decade, though premarital sex is
hands on campus like their Nathan Cazmersen, a campus," said Cazmersen. while adhering to its doc- banned.
heterosexual classmates. 25-year-old neuroscience When asked what the trinal belief that marriage BYU's honor code bans oth-
"Same-sex romantic behav- major from Seattle, said he changes meant, BYU is reserved only for hetero- er things that are common
ior cannot lead to eternal objects to changes that spokeswoman Carri Jen- sexual couples. at other colleges, including
marriage and is therefore don't feel like they reflect kins referred The Associat- An entire section in the BYU drinking, beards and pierc-
not compatible with the the Christ-like behavior that ed Press to a Q&A posted code that was dedicated ings. Students who attend
principles included in the church leaders encourage. Wednesday by Kevin Utt, to "homosexual behavior" the university in Provo, south
honor code," wrote Paul V. Cazmersen is straight and director of the honor code was removed last month. of Salt Lake City, agree to
Johnson, commissioner of considers himself an ally office. In a section about The clause that upset adhere to the code, and
the church education sys- for LGBTQ friends. Some whether same-sex couples people said, "All forms of nearly all are members of
tem. of them came out for the can hold hands and kiss, physical intimacy that give the church. Punishments for
BYU officials said on Feb. 19 first time after the changes it refers to an aforemen- expression to homosexual violations range from dis-
that questions about per- were made to the honor tioned line from Johnson feelings" are prohibited. cipline to suspension and
mitted behaviors by same- code, thinking it was safe, and says, "Any same-sex ro- Students complained that expulsion.q
sex couples would be dealt he said. mantic behavior is a viola-
with on a case-by-case He called it particularly dif- tion of the principles of the
basis, but the issue hadn't ficult to accept the letter honor code."
been addressed again un- a day after high-ranking The Church of Jesus Christ
til the letter was released church leader M. Russell of Latter-day Saints, wide-
Wednesday. Ballard said in a speech on ly known as the Mormon
The clarification letter campus that it is "evil and church, teaches its mem-

Japan suspends annual funding

for Hawaii telescope project

HONOLULU (AP) — Japan mit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii project manager for Ja-
suspended its yearly fund- Public Radio reported. pan, confirmed the Japa-
ing for a giant telescope An international consor- nese government reduced
project in Hawaii, citing an tium wants to build the funding for the project due
ongoing stalemate over its telescope atop the state's to the situation on Mauna
construction. highest mountain on the Kea. But Japan is still com-
Japan is not completely Big Island. Japan supplies mitted to Hawaii as the
pulling out of participation components for the tele- preferred site for the tele-
in the Thirty Meter Tele- scope. scope, Usuda said.
scope project on the sum- Tomonori Usuda, telescope q