Religious university doesn’t kick students out for protesting, but does succeed in running them off campus

Following up on an earlier post about religious universities and the thought police…

Brigham Young University has suspended one student and disciplined four others for taking part in a gay-rights protest at the school in April.

Run by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the university did not expel any of the students, which was one of the punishment options available. However, it did succeed in prompting two of them to leave campus.

Matthew Kulisch, one of the local organizers of the Soulforce Equality Ride, and Emil Pohlig are both transferring to the University of Utah.

Kulisch, who is gay, was suspended but the action was put on hold.

"They kicked me out of the university but upon further consideration decided I could stay under certain terms and conditions," Kulisch told the Deseret Morning News.

Kulisch said terms of his withheld suspension included avoidance of all contact with gays.

"That's rather difficult to do because one cannot determine who is a homosexual by looking at them," Kulisch said.

He also would have been required to read talks by Elder David A. Bednar and Elder Boyd K. Packer of the LDS Church's Quorum of the Twelve.

Kulisch and Pohlig said the rulings did little to clear up the vagueness of BYU's policy on gays. BYU does allow gays to enroll but the Honor Code prohibits any gay behavior or advocacy of a gay lifestyle.

The terms provided to Kulisch stated that romantic touching and hugging would not be allowed.

Everything BYU did is legal because it is a private religious school, but it isn't even close to being moral or right.