14 | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | NEWS
Qsaltlake.com |
Issue 300 |
MAY 24, 2019
BYU VALEDICTORIAN TO HIS GRADUATING CLASS:
‘I AM PROUD TO BE A GAY SON OF GOD’ BY MICHAEL AARON
A few weeks
ago, Brigham Young University student Matt Easton had told but a handful of people — very close friends and immediate family — that he is gay. Today, he’s taking calls from media around the world, getting high-fives from national celebrities, and taking time to talk to me at QSaltLake Magazine. As valedictorian of BYU’s Department of Political Science, Easton spoke to a full Marriott Center for the convocation of BYU’s Family, Home and Social Sciences College. But it was the words “I am proud to be a gay son of God” during the speech that caught the world’s attention. “It has been a whirlwind,” Easton said of the phone calls and social media posts he has received since the speech. Easton began his speech congratulating those who had “tackled” challenges while attending BYU. “I’d like to begin by saying congratulations. Congratulations to each of you for making it here; for pushing through an incredibly difficult, rigorous, and impressive degree at BYU. Congratulations to those that seriously considered dropping out but stuck with it,” Easton started his speech. “Congratulations to those who at some point have felt alone, or afraid, or uncertain while here. To those of us who have struggled with our faith, and to those who have strengthen it. Congratulations to my siblings of color, my LGBTQ friends. To students who are walking with mental illness. To all those who have constantly have stood in the face of adversity to make our campus better for future generations. You are seen,
