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BYU Valedictorian Comes Out As Gay During Powerful Graduation Speech, And The Internet Is Cheering

BYU Valedictorian Comes Out As Gay During Powerful Graduation Speech, And The Internet Is Cheering
Matt Easton/YouTube, @tabbycat6380/Twitter

Matt Easton, Valedictorian of Utah's Brigham Young University's class of 2019, made a very brave choice for his speech—he came out as gay in a speech that acknowledged the achievements of his peers, and himself.


Brigham Young University is owned and operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which is not known for its acceptance of LGBTQ+ folks.

The school has an honor code that has led to the punishment of LGBTQ+ students in the past, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.

Easton spoke about his personal battles in coming to terms with his identity, and his journey to self-acceptance.

"It was in these quiet moments of pain and confusion that I felt another triumph, that of coming to terms, not with who I thought I should be, but who the Lord has made me."
"As such, I stand before my family, friends and graduating class today to say that I am proud to be a gay son of God."

This personal growth took time, and some serious soul-searching, but it was worth it in the end.

"Four years ago it would have been impossible for me to imagine that I would come out to my entire college."
"It is a phenomenal feeling and it is a victory for me in and of itself."

You can view his full speech below:

BYU 2019 FHSS Valedictorian Speechwww.youtube.com

Matt also posted some clips of the speech to Twitter, where he recieved overwhelming support.








Coming out is always a complicated, and often a scary, process. Kudos to Matt for choosing to be his authentic self even when faced with such a possibility of adversity.

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