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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