In this blog post, we investigate perceptions of safety and inclusivity for LGBTQIA+ students at Brigham Young University (BYU).

BYU is the flagship university for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In the spring of 2020, BYU removed the term “homosexual behavior’’ from its online Honor Code, implying the explicit ban on queer students was lifted. Following this, Paul V. Johnson, the Commissioner of the Church Educational System (CES), wrote a letter addressing students and faculty on all 3 of the BYU campuses clarifying that the change in wording did not lift the ban on gay students. In January 2022, the Raynbow Collective and the BYU Data Science Club partnered for the second time to conduct a survey investigating perceptions of safety and belonging of LGBTQIA+ students at BYU. We present our findings here.