Excerpts of "BYU's Gay Mormon Panel a Huge Success, Overflow Crowds Turned Away", TrevorAntley.com
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[On April 4 at] Brigham Young University, a panel of three self-identified homosexual students and one bisexual student talked openly regarding their struggles with their sexuality and how they have coped with their same-gender attraction along with their Mormon faith. ... "Everything you wanted to know about being gay at BYU but were too afraid to ask."
...The university-sanctioned panel-discussion for gay, lesbian, and bisexual BYU students was met with perhaps more success than its organizers anticipated.
The seating was full to capacity a half-hour before the event was scheduled to begin ... BYU police were maintaining security at the forum....
Reactions after the event were overwhelmingly positive. ...
One non-Mormon visitor who was not able to find seating at the event said that though disappointed he couldn't personally hear the panel, he thought it was "nice to see so much interest in the subject" at Mormon-dominated BYU.
...There were at least three attendees at the forum from a group called the "Standard of Liberty," an organization composed of Latter-day Saints based in Pleasant Grove, Utah, who had been attacking the planned event earlier in the week. The Standard of Liberty had sent out an e-mail claiming the BYU forum on homosexuality would aid in destroying traditional values and would violate the BYU Honor Code. ...
Others dismissed the "Standard of Liberty" group as being outside of mainstream Mormonism....
Brandon Bastian tells of how he came out to his bishop ...
Bridey Jensen remembers being confused about her sexuality ...
Adam White remembers having strong feminine tendencies as a child...
Nathan Paskett remembers knowing he was bisexual ever since he hit puberty...
Panelist Brandon Bastian stated that calling homosexuality "a choice" was offensive. ...
...After the panel ended the group received a standing ovation from overflow crowd.
