#usgabyu

“The complaint was the answer. To have heard myself making it was to be answered. [...] When the time comes to you at which you will be forced to at last utter the speech which has lain at the center of your soul for years, which you have, all that time, idiot-like, been saying over and over, you’ll not talk about the joy of words. I say well why the gods do not speak to us openly, nor let us answer. Till that word can be dug out of us, why should they hear the babble that we think we mean? How can they meet us face to face till we have faces?” The Queen Orual, from Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis #byu #usga #lgbt #lgbtq #gay #byugay #gayatbyu #queer #ssa #allies #lds #usgabyu #facesofusga #byuusga #usgaatbyu #TilWeHaveFaces #answer #help #give #grow #learn #god #prayer #spirituality #conference #lds (at BYU)

"The first thing people ask to me after coming out is “why would you want to go to BYU?” For a while, I didn't know why either. I felt like it was necessary for me to come here, but at the same time I felt that I wasn’t wanted. I’ve come to grow as a person and I feel like I have met a new family with USGA and my friends there. There’s something about a group of people that understand your conflict and accept you as you are. It allows you to let your guard down and explore who you actually are, rather than what people want you to be. That development is my answer to people’s question." #byu #byuusga #usgabyu #usga #ssa #lgbt #lgbtq #gay #usgaatbyu #family

"I knew I wasn’t straight when I didn't have the compulsion to wear basketball shorts in the snow." #byu #usga #byuusga #usgabyu #usgaatbyu #facesofusga #faces #lgbt #lgbtq #ssa #gay #notstraight #lol (at BYU (Brigham Young University))

"Every time I give a presentation, take a test, or do anything remotely difficult, I always wear this pearl necklace that my best friend gave to me. This pearl has been through my most challenging times and my worst defeats. But I continue to wear it because it represents those people who support me to live my dreams and find what makes me happy. In essence, it is my pearl of great price." #byu #byuusga #usgabyu #facesofusga #faces #pearlofgreatprice #lds #lgbt #lgbtq #gay #ssa #usga (at BYU (Brigham Young University))

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. -Robert Frost" #byu #usga #lgbt #lgbtq #ssa #allies #lds #usgabyu #facesofusga #byuusga #usgaatbyu

"I don't think anyone truly ever gets life "right," except for Christ. There's no magic formula that will guide me to make all the correct decisions, as much as I wish there was. So we all have to continue trying our best, and for me, I know that I am doing my best when I am living as authentically as I can. I hope that I don't have to explain or make excuses for who I am. I hope that people will accept me at face value and respect that I know what is right for me, and I will return that respect to them." #byu #usga #lgbt #lgbtq #ssa #allies #lds #usgabyu #facesofusga #byuusga #usgaatbyu (at BYU (Brigham Young University))

"It's funny to me how the LGBTQ community seems to flock to the arts. It was through music that I first introduced to the gay community, and there I made lifelong friends with some of the most accepting and kind people. They welcomed me into their groups without question, even as I posed as straight (though, they could probably see through that). They didn't even let my faith get in the way of friendship. The reverse isn't always true." #byu #usga #lgbt #lgbtq #ssa #allies #lds #usgabyu #facesofusga #byuusga #usgaatbyu

"Before I knew queer people, I used to make excuses for how my church treated them. "Homosexuality is perverse and sinful." "We need to protect the children.” My rationalizations sat comfortably with the beliefs I held. As I became part of the queer community, I realized that my justifications were grossly inadequate and unChrist-like. I chose personal convenience and comfort over real listening and love. Today, I still recognize my own internalized transphobia and homophobia and I fight back by choosing love. It is only by that choice that I can treat myself and others as we truly deserve." #byu #usga #lgbt #lgbtq #ssa #allies #lds #usgabyu #facesofusga #byuusga #usgaatbyu