A self-described “huge leftist” teacher says she has been informed by Brigham Young University-Idaho that she will not be hired back as an adjunct instructor next year because of an announcement she posted on Facebook condemning the stance of the Mormon Church on homosexuality and transgenderism.
Ruthie Robertson, 22, is a Mormon who was teaching as an adjunct instructor at BYU-Idaho, a private university owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS). In honor of LGBT Pride Month, Robertson decided to post a lengthy “official announcement and declaration” of solidarity with the LGBT community on Facebook (full text below). The sentiments expressed in the post stand in direct opposition to the views of the church and the school’s Honor Code, which forbids “homosexual behavior.”
Though the post was private, visible only to friends, it found its way to the university’s administrators, who made clear that she should take it down or potentially not be hired back. Robertson refused and has now lost her contract with the Mormon school, which she believes has treated her unfairly.
Robertson’s post begins with her condemnation of the Mormon Church for its stance on homosexuality:
In honor of LGBT Pride Month, I thought I would reveal some things in the name of authenticity.
I’m currently a member of the LDS Church. This organization has openly and forcefully opposed same-sex relationships and legalized same-sex marriage. They pushed members in California to fight against Prop 8, and had a policy claiming that same-sex relationships were a sin and discouraged individuals from participating in them. In the past, the Church was a facilitator for adoptions. They ended this part of the organization to avoid having to deal with adoption requests from same-sex couples. In November 2015, they took their stance further by labeling same-sex couples in the Church as apostates, meaning those found in these relationships would have a disciplinary hearing to determine their membership status; they can either end their engagements in this sinful life, or be excommunicated. The policy also prevents their children from joining the Church until they are 18, with the condition that they disavow their parents life style. For an organization that places so much importance on the family unit, this policy sure seems to be attacking a form of that unit.
Robertson then moves on to the Old Testament, arguing that the LDS position on homosexuality is based on a few “hateful verses” that are ultimately cherry-picked among a slew of other “archaic” tenets and customs, like various purity practices.
Most Christian faiths label homosexuality as a sin based on archaic writings. A few hateful verses in the Old Testament have led to hundreds of years of prejudice, hatred, violence, and pain. If we’re going to follow the Old Testament, and use it to justify a hateful stance, there are several other things we need to start condemning and punishing.
“What I’m trying convey is that we like to pick and choose from the scriptures, and if we choose to use the Old Testament as a defense for condemning homosexuality … there’s a whole lot more we need to be condemning as well,” she writes. Rather than the Old Testament, she contends that the Book of Mormon, which she says “never once mentions homosexuality,” should be the ultimate authority.
Robertson then makes her “official” declaration that homosexuality is “natural” and thus not “sinful,” as is the official stance of her employer:
This is my official announcement and declaration that I believe heterosexuality and homosexuality are both natural and neither is sinful. I will never support the phrase “love the sinner, hate the sin” because that “sin” is part of who that person is. Homosexuality and transgenderism are not sins; if God made us, and those are part of who we are.. then God created that as well. I realize that my views counter the current day policies of the LDS Church, but I hope that over time the Church will come to see the harm these policies have. Church History shows that the Church has rescinded policies before that weren’t doctrinal, and that weren’t inspired by the Lord. I hope that this will some day apply to the stance on the LGBT community. I will always and forever stand up for the equality of the LGBT community. Sexuality and gender are not binary, they are on a spectrum and that’s how we were made.
To Robertson’s surprise, her post condemning the policies and moral tenets of her employer resulted in her contract not being renewed.
The Washington Post, which spoke with Robertson, says she describes herself as a “huge leftist living in a completely red state” who is thus used to being controversial. While she knew her post would get some pushback from her Mormon friends, she “never expected to be fired because of it,” the Post reports.
Here’s the sequence of events as described by the Post:
Robertson was not friends with any of her students on Facebook, and made sure to keep the post private. But she said one of her Facebook friends reported the post to her department head and another sent an email to the school’s president.
The following day she met with administrators, who she said implied that if she did not take down the Facebook post, she would lose her job. She refused, standing by her beliefs and maintaining that she never expressed her political or social opinions in the classroom. The school officials told her to pray about her decision.
A week later, after Robertson still had not taken down the post, one of the administrators called her to inform her she would not be returning to teach classes in the fall. The university would allow her to finish classes through the rest of the semester, which ended Tuesday. But beyond that, her contract was terminated.
While a BYU-Idaho spokesman confirmed to the Post that she would not be teaching next semester, he said the university does not comment on personnel matters.
Robertson acknowledges that her views on homosexuality conflict with her employer, but believes the university should not have fired her.
“Nothing in the contract says you can’t privately disagree with something with the church,” she told the Post. “There is nothing in the contract that says I can’t express my personal opinions on my Facebook.”
She also told the paper that she has considered leaving the church and worries that her opposition to its stance might result in excommunication.
The Post notes that responses to the fallout have been mixed, with some commending her for being willing to stand by her beliefs, while others have defended the actions of the university.
“It’s perfectly ok to fire someone who you don’t believe represents the mission of your company, university, or organization,” one person said.
Below is Richardson’s initial, unedited Facebook post, followed by the revised version (via the Salt Lake Tribune),:
Ruthie Robertson’s initial, unedited Facebook post (provided by Robertson)
In honor of LGBT Pride Month, I thought I would reveal some things in the name of authenticity.
I’m currently a member of the LDS Church. This organization has openly and forcefully opposed same-sex relationships and legalized same-sex marriage. They pushed members in California to fight against Prop 8, and had a policy claiming that same-sex relationships were a sin and discouraged individuals from participating in them. In the past, the Church was a facilitator for adoptions. They ended this part of the organization to avoid having to deal with adoption requests from same-sex couples. In November 2015, they took their stance further by labeling same-sex couples in the Church as apostates, meaning those found in these relationships would have a disciplinary hearing to determine their membership status; they can either end their engagements in this sinful life, or be excommunicated. The policy also prevents their children from joining the Church until they are 18, with the condition that they disavow their parents life style. For an organization that places so much importance on the family unit, this policy sure seems to be attacking a form of that unit.
Most Christian faiths label homosexuality as a sin based on archaic writings. A few hateful verses in the Old Testament have led to hundreds of years of prejudice, hatred, violence, and pain. If we’re going to follow the Old Testament, and use it to justify a hateful stance, there are several other things we need to start condemning and punishing. Leviticus 19:19 tells us we can’t wear clothing of two kinds of material… so, basically every clothing item ever has to be burned. The next time you see someone wearing clothes(which is always… so, you’re welcome for the opportunity to show your spiritual superiority), check the tag to see the materials it’s made from. If it’s more than one, tell them they should desire to walk around naked rather than wear clothing made of more than one material! Women, in Leviticus 15, we learn that God purposely made us unclean. When we menstruate, we are unclean for those 7 days. Oh, and anyone or anything that touches us during that time is unclean as well. You aren’t allowed to go to church at that time because you’ll corrupt everything there with your blood flow. Oh, and you know how God also gave us the ability to grow a human inside of us? Well, after a woman has a child, she has a period of impurity and cannot be touched. If it’s a boy, she’s unclean for 40 days. If it’s a girl, she’s unclean for 80 days. As a female, you also are not allowed to read from the scriptures (wait… how am I supposed to know about my impurity rituals then?! I need to know how to make myself pure after my period!..too bad). You also cannot preach in a church (can I use this excuse next time I’m asked to speak in church?) None of this is archaic, sexist, or totally illogical at all though, right? God commanded these things, so we need to make sure we make these into policies as well!
What I’m trying convey is that we like to pick and choose from the scriptures, and if we choose to use the Old Testament as a defense for condemning homosexuality… there’s a whole lot more we need to be condemning as well. The Book of Mormon is supposed to be the keystone of the Church, right? It never once mentions homosexuality. What is does mention is that God disposed the practice of polygamy, and the Nephites are brought to repentance for practicing it…. yet, Joseph Smith said God commanded him to practice it. We can’t keep picking and choosing what kind of God we worship, and we can’t keep picking and choosing which commandments of his are to be enforced or not.
This is my official announcement and declaration that I believe heterosexuality and homosexuality are both natural and neither is sinful. I will never support the phrase “love the sinner, hate the sin” because that “sin” is part of who that person is. Homosexuality and transgenderism are not sins; if God made us, and those are part of who we are.. then God created that as well. I realize that my views counter the current day policies of the LDS Church, but I hope that over time the Church will come to see the harm these policies have. Church History shows that the Church has rescinded policies before that weren’t doctrinal, and that weren’t inspired by the Lord. I hope that this will some day apply to the stance on the LGBT community. I will always and forever stand up for the equality of the LGBT community. Sexuality and gender are not binary, they are on a spectrum and that’s how we were made.
Stand up for humanity, love people because of who they are… not despite who they are. Trump can break the tradition of June being LGBT pride month, but I’m still going to celebrate it.. this month and every month to follow. #LGBTPrideMonth
Robertson’s revised, unedited Facebook post (provided by Robertson)
In honor of LGBT Pride Month, I thought I would reveal some things in the name of authenticity. I’d like to preface this by saying that, as an employee of BYUI, my views do not reflect the school or LDS Church. These are my personal beliefs, and they have no place in my classroom nor will they ever. Students often approach me and ask my opinion on certain matters of the Church, and I always diplomatically discourage the discussion and tell them to seek their own truths rather than a professors. My students know that I expect respect and love for all, no matter their gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, etc. and that’s the most I’ve said on the following subject.
I’m currently a member of the LDS Church. This organization has openly and forcefully opposed same-sex relationships and legalized same-sex marriage. They pushed members in California to fight against Prop 8, and had a policy claiming that same-sex relationships were a sin and discouraged individuals from participating in them. In the past, the Church was a facilitator for adoptions. They ended this part of the organization to avoid having to deal with adoption requests from same-sex couples. In November 2015, they took their stance further by labeling same-sex couples in the Church as apostates, meaning those found in these relationships would have a disciplinary hearing to determine their membership status; they can either end their engagements in this sinful life, or be excommunicated. The policy also prevents their children from joining the Church until they are 18, with the condition that they disavow their parents life style. For an organization that places so much importance on the family unit, this policy sure seems to be attacking a form of that unit.
Most Christian faiths label homosexuality as a sin based on archaic writings. A few hateful verses in the Old Testament have led to hundreds of years of prejudice, hatred, violence, and pain. If we’re going to follow the Old Testament, and use it to justify a hateful stance, there are several other things we need to start condemning and punishing. Leviticus 19:19 tells us we can’t wear clothing of two kinds of material… so, basically every clothing item ever has to be burned. The next time you see someone wearing clothes(which is always… so, you’re welcome for the opportunity to show your spiritual superiority), check the tag to see the materials it’s made from. If it’s more than one, tell them they should desire to walk around naked rather than wear clothing made of more than one material! Women, in Leviticus 15, we learn that God purposely made us unclean. When we menstruate, we are unclean for those 7 days. Oh, and anyone or anything that touches us during that time is unclean as well. You aren’t allowed to go to church at that time because you’ll corrupt everything there with your blood flow. Oh, and you know how God also gave us the ability to grow a human inside of us? Well, after a woman has a child, she has a period of impurity and cannot be touched. If it’s a boy, she’s unclean for 40 days. If it’s a girl, she’s unclean for 80 days. As a female, you also are not allowed to read from the scriptures (wait… how am I supposed to know about my impurity rituals then?! I need to know how to make myself pure after my period!..too bad). You also cannot preach in a church (can I use this excuse next time I’m asked to speak in church?) None of this is archaic, sexist, or totally illogical at all though, right? God commanded these things, so we need to make sure we make these into policies as well!
What I’m trying convey is that we like to pick and choose from the scriptures, and if we choose to use the Old Testament as a defense for condemning homosexuality… there’s a whole lot more we need to be condemning as well. The Book of Mormon is supposed to be the keystone of the Church, right? It never once mentions homosexuality. What is does mention is that God disposed the practice of polygamy, and the Nephites are brought to repentance for practicing it…. yet, Joseph Smith said God commanded him to practice it. We can’t keep picking and choosing what kind of God we worship, and we can’t keep picking and choosing which commandments of his are to be enforced or not.
This is my official announcement and declaration that I believe heterosexuality and homosexuality are both natural and neither is sinful. I will never support the phrase “love the sinner, hate the sin” because that “sin” is part of who that person is. Homosexuality and transgenderism are not sins; if God made us, and those are part of who we are.. then God created that as well. I realize that my views counter the current day policies of the LDS Church, but I hope that over time the Church will come to see the harm these policies have. Church History shows that the Church has rescinded policies before that weren’t doctrinal, and that weren’t inspired by the Lord. I hope that this will some day apply to the stance on the LGBT community. I will always and forever stand up for the equality of the LGBT community. Sexuality and gender are not binary, they are on a spectrum and that’s how we were made.
Stand up for humanity, love people because of who they are… not despite who they are. Trump can break the tradition of June being LGBT pride month, but I’m still going to celebrate it.. this month and every month to follow. #LGBTPrideMonth