Posted on 03/06/2009 5:22:10 PM PST by delacoert
In a letter dated September 29, 2008, Chad Hardy, producer of the infamous Men on a Mission Calendars and website, received a letter from Brigham Young University informing him that his name had been removed from the August 15, 2008 graduation roll. The letter stated that he would not be awarded his BA degree in Communication Studies because he had been excommunicated from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on July 13, 2008, a month before graduation.
All of his required coursework had already been completed prior to the church discipline. He was not required to abide by the schools strict Honor Code because he finished his coursework online from his home in Las Vegas, NM. The only recourse given to him to get his diploma was to come back to full fellowship with the LDS Church.
Brigham Young University failed to follow their own policies and procedures in disciplining Hardy and revoking his degree. Two weeks later, Hardy was denied and exception from BYU policy and will not be awarded his degree.
This series of videos is the actual recording from the official University Review with BYU Dean of Students, Vernon Heperi.
Well, the “Men on a Mission Calendar” link produces a blank page. So, who is Chad Hardy and why should I care? Is the Calendar homosexual oriented?
Sometimes a lawsuit’s the appropriate reaction.
Colonel, USAFR
It was a calendar of RM’s (return Missionaries) with their shirts off. My SIL has a copy. I don’t think it is same sex oriented any more than any other calendar with guys in it.
Of course, I grew up in Palm Springs, and had a gay father, so my view of what is homosexual oriented usually involves something pretty hardcore.
Sorry. Here's a working link. Men on a Mission Calendars and website
Is the Calendar homosexual oriented?
I don't know why the women who buy it would be interested in it if they were homosexual.
I guess that link doesn’t work either. :p
I actually thought the guy was a quarterback........Really, I did. LOL!
Here is the relevant section:
| Live A Chaste And Virtuous Life |  |
 |
 |
|
Live a Chaste and Virtuous Life Inappropriate gender-based behavior
Pornography and indecent material Computer pornography Sexual and similar misconduct
Any level of sexual or similar misconduct at BYU is significant and may lead to a separation from the university. Homosexual behavior or advocacy One's stated same-gender attraction is not an Honor Code issue. However, the Honor Code requires all members of the university community to manifest a strict commitment to the law of chastity. Homosexual behavior and/or advocacy of homosexual behavior are inappropriate and violate the Honor Code. Homosexual behavior includes not only sexual relations between members of the same sex, but all forms of physical intimacy that give expression to homosexual feelings. Advocacy includes seeking to influence others to engage in homosexual behavior or promoting homosexual relations as being morally acceptable. Violations of the Honor Code may result in actions up to and including separation from the University. _______________________________________________ Just as illegal immigrants should not be rewarded for sneaking into this country, those who knowingly violate their commitments, both legal and moral, in an attempt to ridicule and impugn their former beliefs should not be rewarded for doing so either. Not to mention the fact that BYU is a private institution and is therefore well within its rights not to grant this kid a degree. If you don't like BYU's beliefs, don't sign the code and go somewhere else. It really is simple enough for even Libs (and opportunistic critics of the church) to understand. |
I didn’t see where they were forbidden to take their shirts off.
The Church of Latter-day Studs
Can you seriously tell me that this is not meant to be "sexual in nature?" The page even references Prop 8. But naaaaah, this is just good, wholesome fun, right?
"I may not be able to define pornography humor, but I know it a bad joke when I see hear it."
Homeosexuality is sometimes in the eye of the beholder. I collect civil war era cdv’s. Many period cdv’s of men will have them with their arms across the shoulder of the other or soitting closely side by side. NOTHING sexual at all, times were different and men expressed friendship differently. However these are often marketed on Ebay as “gay interest”.
Whether it is a joke or not is not relevant. What this kid did is a crystal clear violation of the the BYU Honor Code that this kid signed in good faith when he first entered the school. No amount of “I was just joking” will avail him here. As we keep trying to tell the Left, rules have to mean something. I mean, at Judgement Day, do you think the Lord will be sympathetic to the “I was just kidding defense?”
You mean this part?
What’s your take on the LDS church’s financial backing of the campaign to outlaw gay marriage in California?
I’m really disturbed by what the church did. They say they are not anti-gay, then they pull a stunt like that, then they’re confused about why everybody points fingers at them. They say marriage is sacred. It’s sacred for gay couples as well.
Will you feel responsible if the church goes after the people who posed for your calendars?
They came to me. Some want to get out a positive message about the church, some want to give a message to the church.
There is so much pressure to conform, and it’s amazing how afraid the church is of sexuality. I grew up with such shame about my body and sex. I still deal with those issues.
So, he supports gay marriage. He supports sexual immorality and thinks moral codes are "restrictive" regardless of whether he signed his name to them or not. Sounds like the Liberal gay agenda to me. What do you think?
Yes. Since BYU is a private institution and this is written in the document this kid signed and agreed to abide by, they have every legal and moral right to do what they have done. Period.
The question is not whether the code should stand, but in this particular case it's application and how this was handled. It is in the timing that things are suspicious.
It is also where BYU may have caught it's foot in the door and set a precedent that may bring other ramifications down the road.
For example, since the young man earned the credits and indeed was allowed to walk, will the next move be to rescind degrees awarded of individuals who left the church a few years after graduation? More realistically could they do such if the infraction was discovered well after the student graduated and would that be wise? On first blush all that sounds ridiculous, but in essence that is what they have done in this case. The young man was finished before they expelled him.
They are on a fine line. They should have made their move when he was initially excommunicated, before he finished that last class.
Then BYU decided to refuse him the award.
It makes one wonder how long they watch you. What if it is ten years, five years, instead of one month.
Does a graduate have to walk on egg shells their entire life, looking over their shoulders wondering if this activity or that activity will mean BYU will snatch thier degree.
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