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He made a $1 million donation to BYU By Hugo Salinas October 23, 2002 Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Mitt Romney says he supports gay rights, but a recent donation he made might say otherwise. The Boston Globe revealed October 17 that in 1998 Romney made a $1 million contribution to Brigham Young University, which is considered one of the most anti-gay institutions in the US. Students suspended for violating BYU’s stern anti-gay rules can be readmitted only if they submit to so-called “reparative” or “conversion” therapy. Undercover security personnel at BYU have a notorious reputation for entrapping students in restrooms and other locations. As recently as April 2001 two BYU students, Ricky Escoto and Matthew Grierson, were forced to withdraw from Brigham Young University or face two-semester suspensions for being romantic with other men. “Romney now has a wonderful opportunity to show the public that his commitment to fairness and civil rights is more than campaign rhetoric,” wrote a Boston Globe reader in response to the October 17 story. “[H]e can help educate the school on the inappropriateness of its ‘honor code’ and encourage it to adopt a more respectful approach to its gay and lesbian students. If Mitt can apply the same energy and skill that have made him so successful in business and sports, he could do much for us all in advancing civil rights.”
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www.affirmation.org