Brigham Young University Student Newspaper Publishes Then Censors Undergraduate Letter Suggesting LDS Be Honest About Inordinate Involvement In Proposition 8

ABC-4 in Provo, Utah is reporting the story of Cary Crall, a senior at Brigham Young University studying to become a doctor authored a letter to the editor of the campus newspaper, The Daily Universe, regarding the inordinate involvement in the campaign to pass Proposition 8 – the California gay marriage ban – by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and that the letter, first rejected, then a published “guest editorial,” finally removed from the paper’s website and deemed “offensive.” Crall, critical of the reasons offered by the Church for its unprecedented participation in Proposition 8, read the ruling of United States District Judge Vaughn Walker striking down the ban as unconstitutional and concluded that there exists little rational reasoning for most, if not all of the arguments supporting the gay marriage ban, writing the real reason for supporting the amendment “is that a man who most of us believe is a prophet of God told us to support the amendment. Crall told ABC-4 that “If the real reason for supporting the amendment is a privately held religious opinion and belief in a prophet – that a prophet is telling us to do it – then we need to be honest about that and take the consequences. I think the Mormon community owes that kind of introspection to the rest of the world for our action in Proposition 8.” BYU Faculty Advisor Edward Carter released a statement that read in part “The Daily Universe made an independent decision to remove the student viewpoint titled “Defending Proposition 8” after being alerted by various readers that the contend of the editorial was offensive.” Crall is rightly incredulous, saying that the reasoning is “ridiculous” and that simply because some are offended by the opinion expressed that in no way offers permission to censor that dissenting point of view. Crall adds “I won’t admit that my stand is against the LDS Church. My stance is that if you’re choosing to follow the prophet ... be honest about that.”