DiscussMormonism.com

See link below for article in today's Trib about change to wording in BYU's Honor Code concerning gay students. Does this mean gay students can now hold hands? In any event, a positive step forward, in my opinion.

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_5684555

Rollo Tomasi wrote:Does this mean gay students can now hold hands?

I'm guessing no:

Homosexual behavior 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.

Not much change in my mind. But hey, it is a slippery slope...

BYU should let gay students hold hands, but encourage boy-girl couples to respond by overwhelming example of "doing the right thing." More boy-girl hand holding can only be a good thing at BYU, right?

The Dude wrote:More boy-girl hand holding can only be a good thing at BYU, right?

Only if they're married. No touching until they're married. Then as soon as they're married...as much touching as possible (hopefully leading to more tithe payers).

On Monday, students praised the administration's willingness to listen. "With the previous honor code there was a lot of fear attached to it," said David Hulet, a senior. "[Now] we have clarity and understanding of what is acceptable and what isn't."

Isn't the willingness to be reasonable, part of that slippery slope BYU is always warning about? This must send uncomfortable shivers up the spine of conservative believers throughout the Church.

Rollo Tomasi wrote:See link below for article in today's Trib about change to wording in BYU's Honor Code concerning gay students. Does this mean gay students can now hold hands? In any event, a positive step forward, in my opinion.

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_5684555

I'm not so sure it's a positive step forward. The new statement simply defines what was previously stated ambiguously. Some of the new language says:

Homosexual behavior 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.

There's still the double standard, where straights can hold hands in public, but gays cannot ("give expression to homosexual feelings"). And advocacy clearly defines "promoting homosexual feelings as being morally acceptable" as a violation of the Honor Code, which seems pretty extreme.

About the only thing the new language does is allow someone to say he/she is gay, but they better not say they aren't a sinner.