BYU and the Trans Agenda

If you live in Utah, you know it is home to several Native American tribes: the Utes, Piutes, the Dine’ or Navajo, the Goshute, and Shoshone. But many people in the state belong to one of two major “tribes” –  those who are loyal to the University of Utah and those who have sworn eternal allegiance to Brigham Young University. And the rivalry runs deep. I know people in their 50s who are still angry about things that happened to them during the Big Game back when they were undergrads. So when football season rolls around, most of the people I know have worked themselves into a fever pitch over the Runnin’ Utes. But make no mistake, there is no shortage of people who become equally glossy-eyed over the BYU Cougars, who to be fair are racking up more wins than losses following the abysmal 2017 season. The joke back then was that if you were pulled over speeding in Provo, you got two tickets: one for the violation and one for a BYU football game. As a native of Ohio who did his undergrad work in Michigan, I really don’t care. I had enough of that trying to survive as Buckeye in Wolverine country. Most people here are flummoxed that I don’t pick a side. But I still cheer for Ohio State and/or Notre Dame.

BYU has been the butt of many jokes, covert and overt. One of the most recent ones that comes to mind is a billboard advertisement by the University of Utah letting potential students know that beards are permissible at the U, whereas at the Y, beards are a violation of the student code. And it might be argued that BYU and the Mormon Church itself are struggling to stay relevant amidst a changing world. And by some accounts, the school and the church may have some housecleaning and apologizing to do. Entire podcasts/YouTube channels such as Mormon Stories have a plethora of stories about people who suffered during their times as members. And if as these stories indicate, the LDS Church has facilitated, ignored, or concealed manipulation or abuse in any form, it needs to own up to those things and make what amends it can. And it needs to do so with humility. I’m not a Mormon, but I lived among them long enough that I could play one on TV. And when I was in radio, I broadcasted enough sessions of the General Conference that I have probably heard more lectures on doctrine than the fresh-faced missionaries that occasionally show up at my door. I’ve got a few stories of my own to tell, but that is for another time.

Couple the above-mentioned stories coming to light with the problem of attrition and there seems to be quite a bit on the church’s plate. The website mrm.org reported that membership growth declined by 50% in 2020. Most recently, the COVID-19 situation combined with crises of faith appears to be contributing to a membership hemorrhage.

The LDS Church, despite its “complicated” relationship with polygamy, past and present, bills itself as a family-oriented church. It might be argued that the family is the center of LDS doctrine. It said as much in its document: The Family: a Proclamation to the World. And to be honest, with a few exceptions, the Mormons I know honestly do value family and traditional values, and despite whatever issues may beset the church, they are genuinely good people.

Related: Tough Lessons From the Beehive State

Which brings us back to BYU (yes, I was getting there, be patient). The College Fix reports that the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, which is part of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, is investigating the school’s master’s program in speech pathology, and may consider the program’s certification. The reason? BYU will no longer offer “vocal training” to people who want their voices to sound more like their gender identity.

The College Fix quoted the council’s statement:

 ASHA recognizes gender-affirming voice and communication services for transgender and gender diverse populations within the speech-language pathology scope of practice… Transgender individuals who attempt to modify their voice without a trained speech-language pathologist, risk permanent damage to their vocal cords; and without appropriate services are an increased risk for related mental health challenges.

The LDS Church’s policy on transgenderism reads in part:

Transgender individuals face complex challenges. Members and nonmembers who identify as transgender—and their family and friends—should be treated with sensitivity, kindness, compassion, and an abundance of Christlike love. All are welcome to attend sacrament meeting, other Sunday meetings, and social events of the Church (see 38.1.1).

 Gender is an essential characteristic of Heavenly Father’s plan of happiness. The intended meaning of gender in the family proclamation is biological sex at birth. Some people experience feelings of incongruence between their biological sex and their gender identity. As a result, they may identify as transgender. The Church does not take a position on the causes of people identifying as transgender.

 Most Church participation and some priesthood ordinances are gender neutral. Transgender persons may be baptized and confirmed as outlined in 38.2.8.10. They may also partake of the sacrament and receive priesthood blessings. However, priesthood ordination and temple ordinances are received according to biological sex at birth.

 Church leaders counsel against elective medical or surgical intervention for the purpose of attempting to transition to the opposite gender of a person’s biological sex at birth (“sex reassignment”). Leaders advise that taking these actions will be cause for Church membership restrictions.

You can read the full text here.

In essence, BYU is in the crosshairs for following the policy of the church that sponsors it. The policy is as advertised. The school has offered to help these individuals find alternative providers, and this service is not part of anything that BYU actually offers. And this is why the Left hates the free market. Ideally, people who identify as a different gender should be able to say to BYU: “Screw you, I’ll take my business elsewhere.” But that is not good enough. In our brave new world, you must provide whatever is demanded of you, even if it is not a part of your mission statement, business plan, or menu. You must bend the knee to whatever the popular sentiment is, or be canceled. Or have your accreditation revoked. You must comply. You must change your worldview to suit us. We are not content to go our own way and let you go yours. With a nod to Whoopi Goldberg, the essence of the movement is this:

“We are the Borg. Lower your shields and surrender your ships. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile.”

And as a side note: isn’t gender supposed to be fluid right now? What happens if someone decides they are a woman in October and a man in November? Do they come back in every time the calendar flips to change their voice? That sounds extremely tiresome to me. And what about the man who identifies as a dragon and has had surgery to make him look like one? What therapy does he need to sound like Smaug the Golden?

BYU and the LDS Church may have some things to account for, but bowing the knee to the ever-changing and self-indulgent demands of the woke should not be one of them.