Brigham Young University graduate Matt Easton, 24, from Cottonwood Heights, Utah, is a political science student with a 4.0 grade point average.
Easton used the opportunity to announce: 'I am proud to be a gay son of God' in front of 10,000 people during his convocation speech, which was approved by the dean's office at BYU.
Brigham Young University was founded by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and has very strict rules discriminating against gay students, stating that the church 'welcomes' gay members but does not encourage them not to act on their feelings or have same-sex relationships. The church has recently repealed rules on expulsion which categorized same-sex parents as sinners but still has not changed its opposition on gay marriage.