Byu mascot gay

“I have somehow been blessed with an amazing platform where I can make my voice heard,” he said.

AformerBrigham Young University student who served as his school’s mascot hopes his decision to come out publicly as gay in a newspaper essay inspires a deeper discussion of LGBTQ issues among Mormon churchgoers.

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In an opinion essay published Tuesday by Utah’s Deseret News, Charlie Bird said he felt “immense pressure to hide” his sexuality during his time performing as BYU’s Cosmo the Cougar from 2015 through 2018.

To attend, students must abide by an honor code that prohibits homosexual behavior.

“I was hyper-aware of what some of my peers said about the gay community, how they viewed same-sex attraction and the often unkind and insensitive words they used to describe LGBTQ people — people like me,” Bird, whose dance moves as Cosmo won national acclaim and went viral online, wrote. In a Wednesday interview, he told The Salt Lake Tribune he’d received “many, many, many” messages of support from both families and other LGBTQ Mormons.

“I wanted to make sure I used that platform to give a voice to people who don’t have that same opportunity, and share a very real story of what many people are going through.”

“It feels even better knowing that I don’t have to think of any more awkward excuses as to why ‘a nice young chap like me hasn’t found a wife and settled down,’” he added.