PHOTOS: Hundreds Protest BYU Honor Code Office

Kelsie Moore

Hundreds of people turned out to protest Friday on the campus of Brigham Young University in Provo. The school is sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Sidney Draughon addresses the crowd of students and protesters.
Credit Kelsie Moore/KUER

Demonstrators want the university to reform its controversial Honor Code system, which prohibits students from drinking, smoking, having premarital sex and which includes strict grooming and modesty guidelines.

In a call and response chant, students yelled: “God forgives me, why can’t you?”

Anne Foley, wearing tape covering her mouth with the words “restore honor” written on it, says she came to support friends.
Credit Kelsie Moore/KUER

Students say the code is not being enforced in a Christ-centered way, and they’re writing letters to administrators demanding that they change how the code is enforced. 

Protesters gather with signs at BYU to challenge and reform the school’s honor code.
Credit Kelsie Moore/KUER
Grant Frazier, member of the BYU Democrats Club, rallies up the group of protesters with chants.
Credit Kelsie Moore/KUER
Some students watch and criticize the protest from a distance.
Credit Kelsie Moore/KUER
Sidney Draughon, creator of the Honor Code Stories Instagram account that shares students experiences with the honor code, has a tear-filled moment before speaking to the crowd.
Credit Kelsie Moore/KUER
Sidney Draughon shares a moment with her mother, Bonnie Draughon, who helped give her the courage to start the Honor Code Stories Instagram account. On the account, Sidney shares her own personal experience with the Honor Code Office as well as many other students, anonymously.
Credit Kelsie Moore/KUER
BYU student, Joseph Smith, fires up the crowd.
Credit Kelsie Moore/KUER
Credit Kelsie Moore/KUER
Matt Easton, a senior at Brigham Young University, holding his handmade sign during a protest seeking to reform the school’s honor code.
Credit Kelsie Moore/KUER
Protesters gather with signs at BYU to challenge and reform the school’s honor code.
Credit Kelsie Moore/KUER
Sidney Draughon addresses the crowd of students and protesters.
Credit Kelsie Moore/KUER

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Daysha Eaton reports about religion and cultural issues, including social justice, for KUER.
A dual citizen of both Australia and the United States, Kelsie has enjoyed breaking down all of her pre-conceptions of this country as she’s put a lens on the American people. Prior to RadioWest, she was filming short documentaries worldwide, getting to the heart of rural communities disadvantaged by poverty. As she invests in Utah and the community here, she is picking up a slight American accent that her Australian family is not proud of.