BYU BANS same-sex relationships just three years after Utah Mormon institution dropped the controversial policy

Same-sex relationships have once again been banned at Brigham Young University, after being allowed only a few years ago when the University of Utah changed its controversial honor code.

The university, where almost all students are members of the Church of Jesus Chris of Latter-day Saints, tells its Mormon students to “live chaste and virtuous lives, refraining from romantic behavior between people of the same sex.”

The standards are applied at each of BYU’s four locations, namely Provo and Salt Lake City, Utah; Rexburg, Idaho and Laie, Hawaii.

The line was secretly removed from the code three years ago, but for unknown reasons it has returned in the new update.

Although the rule was taken off paper, the university still implemented the ban on same-sex dating on campus.

The university, whose student body is almost all members of the Church of Jesus Chris of Latter-day Saints, tells its Mormon students to “live chaste and virtuous lives, including refraining from romantic behavior between people of the same sex’.

Gracee Purcell, a psychology student at BYU, shared ReligionNews.com: ‘It is heartbreaking to see time and time again that queer students are not welcome. Every time they reintroduce it and repeat it, it hurts a little more.”

In a list of frequently asked questions included with the announcement, the church education system noted that the ban on homosexual behavior does not represent a change in LGBTQ policy.

The announcement stated that “LGBTQ students are a welcome and valued part of the campus community and share a common identity with every student as sons and daughters of God.”

However, BYU students are not allowed to engage in “same-sex romantic behavior” or risk being expelled.

University President Shane Reese has not yet commented on the change. Reese was inaugurated as head of BYU on Tuesday.

During his inauguration, President C. Shane Reese said, “Like our colleagues at other religious institutions, we exercise our power only to the extent that we embrace and strengthen our religious identity.”

During his inauguration, President C. Shane Reese said, “The eternal progress of every student must remain our primary concern.

‘To this end, we strive to ensure that every student has an inspiring learning experience. Supported by gospel methodology, we frame these experiences in our belief that every student is a child of God who can be bound to Christ as a child of the covenant.

“Like our colleagues at other religious institutions, we exercise our power only to the extent that we embrace and strengthen our religious identity.”

This comes a year after the U.S. Department of Education opened a civil rights investigation into how LGBTQ students were disciplined at the university.

Last September, BYU’s Utah campus also removed fliers advertising resourceful pamphlets for LGBTQ students in welcome bags for new students.

The private university’s administration removed the resourceful information so students could turn to the Office of Belonging.

The brochures include details about regular LGBTQ events held off campus, as well as local therapeutic resources, scholarships and mentorship. They are created by a non-profit organization called RaYnbow Collection, which is not affiliated with any school.

Maddison Tenney, an LGBTQ student at BYU, revealed that she was the one behind the creation of the pamphlets after experiencing loneliness at the Mormon-influenced university.

“I remember sitting in my white dorm room with concrete walls and it was falling apart,” Tenney told the newspaper NBC News. “I didn’t know anyone who looked like me, who wanted to be faithful and embrace the fullness of themselves.”

The Mormon-influenced university said it removed the pamphlets, which provided information about LGBTQ events to news students, because it wanted faculty to inform themselves with the Office of Belonging

The Honor Code is intended to follow the mission of the Church education system to build disciples of Jesus Christ

The rule falls under BYU’s honor code, which has made headlines about what some consider conservative views.

Rules in the honor code include “abstaining from alcoholic beverages, tobacco, tea, coffee, vaping, marijuana and other substance abuse” and “regularly attending church services.”

The Honor Code is intended to follow the mission of the Church education system to build disciples of Jesus Christ. This includes faculty, administrators, staff, and students who “voluntarily” commit to living their lives in accordance with the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Adherents to the Honor Code, which is approved by a Board of Trustees, are expected to “maintain the highest standards in their personal conduct with respect to honor, integrity, morality and consideration for others.”

It requires people to be honest, “live a chaste and virtuous life, including abstaining from sexual relations outside of marriage between a man and a woman” and “encourage others in their commitment to live the code of honor.”

If found guilty violating the code of honorstudents may be placed on probation, suspended, or dismissed from the university.