“I understood there would be consequences, but I didn’t know what they would be. When asked if she was scared to wear her regalia to BYU’s commencement, Orr said she was “really anxious.” “It’s shown me who’s on my island and who’s not,” says Orr. She said that most of the negative attention she has received has been from people she met on her mission. Orr served a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Church in Eugene, Oregon. She continues by saying that most of the responses she has received have been positive most people have shown Orr validation, love, and support. “I thought maybe a couple of BYU students or friends would post photos of it,” says Orr. In an interview with ABC4’s digital team, Orr said she didn’t expect the widespread reaction. She says she did it in protest of Brigham Young University’s policy forbidding its students from participating in any non-heterosexual relationship. PROVO, Utah ( ABC4) – Brigham Young University (BYU) graduate Jillian Orr entered the national spotlight when she “flashed” a rainbow LGBTQ+ flag sewn into her graduation regalia at this year’s commencement ceremony.
