BYU graduate shows off rainbow pride colors in gown during graduation

PROVO, Utah — A Brigham Young University grad’s posts are going viral on social media after showing off her hand-made pride gown at her graduation ceremony, on Friday.

Jillian Orr sewed the rainbow flag inside her graduation gown before going on stage and showed the colors to the crowd when she received her honors. She posted on her personal Facebook page that she showed her community her true colors.

“It’s hard being gay at BYU,” she said. “I didn’t know I identified as bisexual until halfway through.”

Orr worried that the university would take away her degree if anyone knew about her sexuality.

“Today, I took a chance and sent a message to other students,” the Facebook post said. “You can make it too! Be authentic, brave, and unapologetically you!”

The TikTok post showing her sowing the rainbow flag, a common symbol for the LGBTQ community, and revealing it to the crowd has over a 1 million views on the platform.

In the TikTok, she claims that BYU students could receive “severe consequences” if the school found out if they were in a homosexual relationship due to the university’s Honor Code.

In other videos, she explains why she continued her enrollment at the school and shared other viewpoints about the university.

@jillianoreo Good thing I didn’t have to rely on my sewing skills for this. #byugraduation #byu #lgbtq #lgbt🌈 #pride2022 #justice #sistersarethebest #collegegraduate #exmo #exmormon ♬ How You Like That – BLACKPINK

BYU declined to comment on this story.