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Irish busker singing ‘You’ve Got a Friend in Me” to boy with non-verbal autism is pure beauty

A video of a busker in Dublin, Ireland singing “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” to a young boy with autism is going viral because it’s just so darn adorable. The video was filmed over a year ago by Terence Power, the co-host of the popular “Talking Bollox Podcast.”

It was filmed before face masks were required, so you can see the boy’s beautiful reaction to the song.

Power uploaded it to TikTok because he had just joined the platform and had no idea the number of lives it would touch. “The support on it is unbelievable. I posted it on my Instagram a while back and on Facebook and the support then was amazing,” he told Dublin Live.

“But I recently made TikTok and said I’d share it on that and I’m so glad I did now!” he continued.


The video stars Power’s younger brother, seven-year-old Edward Gilligan, who has non-verbal autism.


Irish street performer sings ‘You’ve Got a Friend In Me’ to put at ease an autistic child😍

www.youtube.com

The busker in the video is Mick McLoughlin, a regular performer on the streets of Dublin. He’s also blown away by how people have responded to the video.

“The reaction to this video has blown my mind,” he said according to Dublin Live. “Edward is my pal and always will be. He is such an amazing kid and couldn’t believe I saw him that day on the Luas.”

The Luas is a light-rail system that runs through Dublin.

McLoughlin and Edward have met many times on the train and the viral moment was a reunion of sorts.

“I didn’t do this to get attention I did it because Edward is my pal and I hadn’t seen him I ages and seen him on the Luas I couldn’t not sing to my pal,” he wrote on his Facebook page.

“He sings to my brother any time he sees him in town,” Power said.

The video is adorable because of the way McLoughlin and the boy interact while he’s singing the song. Edward can hardly contain his joy, as he laughs at McLoughlin’s spirited rendition of the Disney classic.

Even though Edward can’t express himself verbally, you can tell exactly how he’s feeling by hearing his laughter and seeing the big smile on his face. The video is a perfect way to show why people call music “the universal language.”

“You’ve Got a Friend in Me” is the perfect song for two friends reuniting who haven’t seen each other in a while. What seven-year-old kid hasn’t seen “Toy Story” a hundred times?

The song was written by Randy Newman for the first “Toy Story” film in 1995. The song would go on to become a major musical theme in the film’s three sequels.

McLoughlan has a YouTube channel where you can hear him sing a mix of traditional Irish songs. He also does a fantastic version of John Lennon’s “Imagine.”


imagine John Lennon cover by Mick mc loughlin #mickthebusker

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Drake And Rick Ross Are Reportedly Making A Joint Album Together

All eyes are on Drake as fans continue to wait for his anticipated Certified Lover Boy release. Instead, Drake decided to hold fans over by dropping a handful of songs Friday in the form of his Scary Hours 2 EP, which included a collaboration with Rick Ross. But it now looks like the two rappers may have another project together in the works.

Drake and Ross’ “Lemon Pepper Freestyle” had people on the internet buzzing. But it seems as though one person, in particular, has more information than most about the two rappers’ working relationship. In response to a tweet about “Lemon Pepper Freestyle,” former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson revealed that they are actually working on a joint album. “The joint album they’re doing together [will] unseat all projects they’ve done to date,” Johnson wrote on Twitter.

This isn’t the first time rumors of their joint project have circulated. Drake himself first drummed up anticipation way back in 2011 when he revealed in an interview with XXL that a project with Ross was in the works. “I have been working on a mixtape with Ross,” Drake said nearly a decade ago. “A mixtape called Y.O.L.O., You Only Live Once. I’ve been working on that for the last couple of weeks. We haven’t really connected because he’s been going through this thing with his health. I’ve been stashing my little beats and verses.”

Neither Drake nor Ross have confirmed the collaborative album yet. Time will tell if it’s on the horizon, or if fans will have to wait another decade for a new project from the two rappers.

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Scott Baio Tried To Start A Twitter Feud With Patton Oswalt (Who Had Better Things To Do)

In theory, Scott Baio and Patton Oswalt engaged in a Twitter feud on Friday, but mostly Baio just rage-tweeted into the vast nothingness of social media until he made his own name trend and people started thinking he was dead. The spat began when Baio stumbled across one of Oswalt’s tweets mocking the now thoroughly debunked QAnon conspiracy theory that Trump was going to be inaugurated on March 4 after retaking the White House with his secret army. As a loyal Trump supporter, Baio’s name was included in Oswalt’s jokes.

“Guys, I’m at the DuPont Circle Pinkberry for the #TrumpInauguration,” Oswalt tweeted. “I’m here with four Proud Boys, their moms and Scott Baio. Did we get the address wrong? Help me out, this Minuteman costume is super-itchy.”

Almost a full 24 hours later, Baio somehow caught wind of the tweet and attempted to “clap back” at Oswalt by saying he has Trump Derangement Syndrome and an STD. Go easy on him, Chachi!

After seeing that he’d been retweeted by Baio, Oswalt couldn’t help but notice that he never tagged the Charles in Charge actor and dunked on Baio for searching his own name on Twitter.

Baio attempted to claim that he wasn’t name-searching, but Oswalt just kept going with his gag about Baio starring in Bugsy Malone. The stand-up comedian then retweeted his brother Matt, who made a crack about the Baio family crawling out of the woodwork to kick the Oswalt family’s ass.

While that exchange could technically count as a feud, that was literally the extent of Oswalt’s involvement. He went on with his day while Baio continued to swat at Twitter users accusing him of name-searching. Baio also didn’t like being told that Oswalt still has a TV career.

From there, the former Happy Days star continued to take potshots at Oswalt, who went right on not responding.

Eventually, the exchange caused “Scott Baio” to trend on Twitter, and Baio was left assuring people that he didn’t die. So all in all, another productive day for Chachi.

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Buddy Hield Claimed He Was Pushed Despite Getting A Flopping Warning For An Extremely Silly Moment Against The Blazers

The NBA is hell-bent on getting flopping out of the game. Oftentimes, this means going after guys who are a little to eager to fall down on, say, a rebound attempt or something, but it is almost always in a situation where a guy theoretically could go down and they just embellish way too much.

Having said that, this from Buddy Hield is a new one. Hield got a flopping warning for the following moment against the Portland Trail Blazers, in which he was minding his own business during a free throw and hit the deck after Carmelo Anthony got into his body a little bit.

Hield, however, claims this is not what it seems, saying the shove he got from Anthony was enough to throw him off balance and make him go down.

It certainly seems like Hield is just joking around, but regardless, this video made me laugh for a solid 30 seconds, largely because of how absurd the concept of “someone tries drawing a flop while standing around waiting for someone to shoot a free throw is.” Anyway, the Kings could have used this turning into a pair of free throws, as they lost this game by four points.

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Taylor Swift Reveals Which ‘Folklore’ Track Has A Lyric She’s ‘Really Proud Of’

Taylor Swift may have wrote her surprise 2020 album Folklore with the help of Aaron Dessner, but the singer took a lot of creative control over the project. In fact, she even did her own hair and makeup for the album cover’s photo shoot. Swift discussed her creative freedom in a recent interview, mentioning which track in particular she was the most proud of.

Swift recently sat down for a conversation with People about her six Grammy nominations this year. During the interview, Swift explained why a particular line on “The Last Great American Dynasty” made her the most “proud” of her songwriting:

“I’m really proud of ‘She had a marvelous time ruining everything’ from ‘The Last Great American Dynasty’ because it’s about what happens when women step out of their cages and run. It can be a real pearl-clutching moment for society when a woman owns her desires and wildness, and I love the idea that the woman in question would be too joyful in her freedom to even care that she’s ruffling feathers, raising eyebrows or becoming the talk of the town. The idea that she decided there were marvelous times to be had, and that was more important.”

Elsewhere in the interview, she discussed the “revelations” she had while making the album: “I think one of the revelations from this time that I’ll take with me moving forward is that oftentimes less is more. An album photo shoot can really be as simple as walking out into a field with one photographer at your friends’ farm and you can do your own hair and makeup for it. […] I feel proud of the DIY elements of these albums and in the future I will always explore that option before adding any other layers to a project. If I can do it myself, I will.”

In other Swift news, the singer’s two 2020 albums helped contribute to her being the second best-selling artist of 2020. Swift took first place in 2019, but was out-run by BTS’ global domination last year.

Folklore is out now via Republic. Get it here.

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Bruno Mars Isn’t Fazed By Those Who Accuse Him Of Cultural Appropriation

Back in 2018, Twitter ignited with accusations of cultural appropriation against Bruno Mars, who critics said was cashing in on music inspired by Black entertainers. At the time, Mars responded by saying all genres of music, from jazz to hip-hop, have roots in the Black community. “In my world, Black music means everything,” he said at the time. Now, Mars is once again addressing his cultural appropriation backlash, this time by explaining his inspirations.

Bruno Mars recently sat down for an interview with The Breakfast Club alongside Anderson .Paak in support of their recent Silk Sonic single “Leave The Door Open.” Charlamagne Tha God, the host of The Breakfast Club, asked Mars how he felt about being accused of “cultural theft.” Mars responded by saying he does draw inspiration from Black legends like Prince and James Brown:

“I’ll say, you can’t find an interview where I’m not talking about the entertainers who have come before me. The only reason why I’m here is because of James Brown, Prince, Michael [Jackson], that’s the only reason why I’m here. I’m growing up as a kid watching Bobbie Brown saying, ‘Okay, if that’s what it takes to make it, then I gotta learn how to do the running man, I gotta learn how to do the moonwalk.’ That’s it. This music comes from love. If you can’t hear that, then I don’t know what to tell you.

It’s the truth, it’s not a secret. Like I said, we’re wearing the inspiration on our sleeve. What is the point if us as musicians if we can’t learn from the guys that come before us? I hope later on, down the road, there’s going to be a band that’s taking what we did and flipping that, and freaking that, and putting their own spin on it. Because if we don’t, then what was the point of us doing this?”

Charlamagne then asked Mars if he was ever “pissed off” by the cultural appropriation critics, and Mars said he wasn’t fazed. Rather, he understands that Black creators are oftentimes not given the credit they deserve. “There’s merit to what people are saying about Black entertainers not getting their flowers,” he said. “I’m champion of that, I’m with that. […] I understand. It’s just Twitter, man.”

Watch a clip of Mars and .Paak’s interview on The Breakfast Club above.

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All The Best New R&B From This Week That You Need To Hear

Sometimes the best new R&B can be hard to find, but there are plenty of great rhythm and blues tunes to get into if you have the time to sift through the hundreds of newly released songs every week. So that R&B heads can focus on listening to what they really love in its true form, we’ll be offering a digest of the hottest R&B jams that fans of the genre should hear every Friday.

This week, Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak gifts us with their first offering from their forthcoming collaborative album as Silk Sonic. Also, Jhene Aiko shares her “Lead The Way” off Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon and Joyce Wrice connects with Freddie Gibbs for “On One.”

Bruno Mars & Anderson .Paak — “Leave The Door Open”

Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak have united to create the ultimate super R&B duo Silk Sonic and their first release is titled “Leave The Door Open.” The song is filled with all the funk and rhythm that you’d expect.

Jhene Aiko — “Lead The Way”

Off the soundtrack to Raya And The Last Dragon, Jhene shares the music video for the song “Lead The Way.” Directed by Carlos López Estrada, Jhene journeys through a magical kingdom. The song was a dream come true for the R&B singer. “I’ve always had this little fantasy of being a Disney princess, voicing one, or like being the character,” she said in an Apple Music interview. “And so this was the closest that I’ve gotten, so I was pretty excited.”

Joyce Wrice — “On One” Feat. Freddie Gibbs

Joyce Wrice’s debut album is set to drop March 19 and ahead of its release, she shares with fans the music video for “On One” featuring Freddie Gibbs.

E Bleu — “3AM”

As rising Houston artist E Bleu preps for the release of his upcoming project, he arrives with his new single “3AM,” signaling his return. The ethereal cut is dreamy and definitely sets a chill, late-night summer vibe. “I’ve always been a night owl. The energy at night is just different to me,” he said in a statement. “I remember being in an Uber on the way home just mentally recapping the night and feeling like it’s somehow a pattern I fall into every night. I got home and recorded it in like 15 min on my kitchen counter at 3 AM.”

Xian Bell — “Sex Pistol”

As Xian Bell readies for his upcoming album, the Los Angeles native delivers his first release of the year, “Sex Pistol.” Accompanying the new release is its Starks, Cristian Navarro, and Clyde Goins-directed music video, featuring some sensual gunplay to go along with the singer’s clever wordplay.

Feather — “Juke”

Tank‘s artist Feather is repping for her hometown of Chicago on her new single “Juke.” “’Juke is a part of the culture in Chicago that I grew up on and I’m so excited to be a part of spreading that culture to the world,” she said in a statement. The music video for this bop is coming soon.

Laura Mvula — “Safe Passage”

Laura Mvula takes R&B artistry to another level with her new track “Safe Passage.” “‘Safe Passage’ is a poem about the vehicle that takes us all from the space where we feel like we’re drowning, and we’re trapped to the promised land, which actually exists,” she says of the song in a statement. “It’s not a dream, it’s not a fictional place.”

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

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The Best New Hip-Hop This Week

This week in hip-hop features the return of some of the biggest-name favorites in the game after long breaks between albums. Chance The Rapper released his first new single since his debut album The Big Day in the form of “The Heart & The Tongue,” while Drake rebooted his Certified Lover Boy rollout with the Scary Hours 2 maxi single, which included “What’s Next.”

Meanwhile, among this week’s bunch of new releases, emerging superstar Baby Keem put out “No Sense,” Rexx Life Raj shared “Built For Everything,” and Tyler The Creator’s Coca-Cola ad song “Tell Me How” got an official release. And, of course, there are way more than we can include in one monthly column, but these are the highlights we think are worth checking out.

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending March 5, 2021.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

4hunnid Records — Gang Affiliated [EP]

4Hunnid Records

YG’s showcases the talent signed to his burgeoning label — Watts rapper D3 and Compton rapper Day Sulan — with this diverse, wide-ranging EP compilation.

Denzel Curry & Kenny Beats — Unlocked 1.5

Denzel Curry

After being pushed back a week, Denzel Curry and production partner Kenny Beats share the updated version of their collaboration from 2020.

Drake — Scary Hours 2 [EP]

Drake

I don’t know if a three-song maxi-single can be called an “album,” but it’s Drake so the normal rules almost never apply.

Jahmed — Armani[EP]

Jahmed

Dropping his second EP in the middle of the week, Inland Empire rapper Jahmed is set to establish himself as an artist you should watch.

Molly Brazy — Pink Molly [EP]

Molly Brazy

Detroit rapper Molly Brazy follows up her 2019 mixtape Built To Last with a polished effort.

Various Artists — Coming 2 America Soundtrack

Def Jam

While not a typical “hip-hop” album, the soundtrack of Eddie Murphy’s long-awaited sequel features plenty of appearances from rap mainstays like Big Sean, Megan Thee Stallion, and Public Enemy.

YBN Almighty Jay — Battling My Spirit

YBN Almighty Jay

The YBN crew may be effectively defunct, but that hasn’t stopped each of its members from carrying on its legacy in their own unique ways.

Singles/Videos

AG CLUB — “Truth”

The Bay Area collective drops a truly evil-sounding new track that elevates the buzz for a full project to a deafening roar.

Angelo Mota — “90210”

Hailing from New Jersey, Angelo Mota looks to take a step forward with this melodic, slow-building reflection on the fleeting nature of fame.

BlueBucksClan — ”Last Minute” feat. Lil Yachty

The West Coast duo links up with the resurgent Atlanta rapper for an upbeat, stripped-down party anthem.

FCG Heem — “More Pain” feat. Toosii

Pained crooning and traumatic memories mark this surprisingly uplifting meditation on the grind.

G Herbo — “Break Yoself”

Herbo gets back to his drill roots on this one, a dark banger with menacing lyrics.

LBS Kee’vin — “Soul Burden” feat. Fredo Bang

The Pensacola, Florida rapper details a stress-filled life spent at the bottom of America’s social food chain.

Mega Ran — “Revolution”

The “nerdcore” rapper’s love for wrestling pays off, as AEW taps him for this new theme song.

Patrick Paige II — “Whisper” feat. Steve Lacy, Allen Love, and Durand Bernarr

Although The Internet member is prepping the release of his solo record, his bandmates are never far behind.

Taleban Dooda — “Trappin’ Ain’t Dead” feat. 42 Dugg

Another Florida rapper reaches beyond the panhandle for an assist from Detroit’s burgeoning gutter rap star.

Tokyo Jetz — “S.O.D.D.” feat. Tokyo Vanity

Tapping into her home state’s booty bass tradition, Tokyo delivers a fun, twerk anthem with a lighthearted video.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

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Weekend Preview: Eddie Murphy, Frank Grillo, And SpongeBob SquarePants Are Your Leading Men On Streaming

Coming 2 America (Amazon Prime film) — The much-anticipated sequel is (according to our own Vince Mancini) a rare example of a comedy that lives up to the original with a bang-up job in the costume department to boot. The followup also, naturally, celebrates the much-heralded return of Eddie Murphy as King Akeem, who’s definitely got Arsenio Hall around as confidante while they travel from Zaumda to Queens, New York, to take things back to basics. More good news: James Earl Jones is back, and the film co-stars Wesley Snipes, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, Louis Anderson, Jermaine Fowler, Bella Murphy, Rotimi, KiKi Layne, Nomzamo Mbatha, and Teyana Taylor.

Boss Level (FX film) — Underappreciated action hero Frank Grillo stars as a former special forces agent who’s trapped in a not-so-wacky version of a Groundhog Day-esque time loop and forced to continuously relive his own murder. Sounds like a good time! Mel Gibson plays the government agent that Grillo’s hunting down in a race against the time loop, and the film also co-stars Naomi Watts, Ken Jeong, and Annabelle Wallis. The film’s one of many upcoming projects from Grillo and director Joe Carnahan’s War Party production company.

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (Paramount+ movie) — Look for Keanu Reeves’ cameo in this irreverent animated adventure, which follows SpongeBob and Patrick, his starfish pal, looking to vindicate Mr. Krabs after he’s been framed for heisting King Neptune’s crown. In doing so, they must leave their Bikini Bottom refuge and make their way to Shell City in a journey that illuminates the power of friendship. In addition to the actual movie goodness, check out our “Rapid Fire” video with rapper 2KBaby as he looks to beat the buzzer in a quiz.

Wandavision: Episode 7 (Disney+ series) — This week’s series finale resists pulling a “Luke Skywalker” moment, which works out best for all parties, other than Pietro, and thank goodness this show didn’t become a cameo-fest. Only two more weeks, and it’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier time.

Oprah With Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special (Sunday, CBS 8:00 p.m.) — This two-hour landmark interview with the British-royal-and-press embattled Meghan Markle and Prince Harry promises to be an event. The pair will open up about their hopes and dreams of the future, along with talking about their move stateside.

Supermarket Sweep (Sunday, ABC 8:00 p.m.) — Leslie Jones and every bit of her enthusiasm will host contestants in this revival of the grocery-shopping game show.

The Walking Dead (Sunday, AMC 9:00 p.m.) — The bonus episodes of Season 10 continue with Daryl and Carol stumbling upon an old cabin that takes Daryl back in time. Memories abound as past traumas rise to the forefront again, and yes, Daryl is thinking about Dog this week.

Allen V. Farrow (Sunday, HBO 9:00 p.m.) — This four part documentary series continues this weekend to dig into a notorious and still-raging scandal of what, exactly, happened with Woody Allen and his family. This week, Mia Farrow attempts to shield Dylan from being repeatedly questioned while Woody’s legal and PR teams go into overdrive.

Shameless (Sunday, Showtime 9:00 p.m.) — The Gallagher family home might be going up for sale, for real, while Frank attempts to give input, but no one should listen to him.

Last Week Tonight: Season 8 Premiere (Sunday, HBO 10:00 p.m.) — Everyone’s favorite sarcastic and satiric late-night host returned a few weeks ago, and not a moment too soon. Can’t wait to see who he skewers this week.

Here are a few more recent streaming picks:

Raya and the Last Dragon (Disney+ film) — Kelly Marie Tran stars in this ambitious fantasy film with striking visuals about Kumandra, yet another world where humans and dragons coexisted together until the dragons sacrificed themselves to save the humans. Oh, this one’s gonna be a tear-jerker but sounds like it’s entirely worth it, especially after reemerging monsters inspire a warrior to find the last living dragon and repeat the path to victory. The film integrates mythologies from many Southeast Asian cultures and promises to be a soaring ride for all ages.

Mr. Mercedes: Season 3 (Peacock series) — The crime-thriller series that’s based upon Stephen King’s best-selling Bill Hodges Trilogy continues from executive producer David E. Kelley and director Jack Bender. Viewers know that this series brings us a very different Holly Gibney (as portrayed by Justine Lupe) than the one we witnessed on HBO’s The Outsider (as played by Cynthia Erivo), and this season was co-written by Kelley and King. Settle in as the murder of a beloved local author (and American icon) becomes the focus of Hodges, Holly, and Jerome, who find that this case is much more complex than mere cold-blooded killing.

Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years: Season 1 (Paramount+ series) — This accompanying prequel series (which landed on the Paramount+ launch day) follows 10-year-old Spongebob at his summer Kamp Koral, which really shakes up the kelp forest as underwater campfires are all the rage near Lake Yuckymuck.

Pacific Rim: The Black (Netflix series): This animated series is as bonkers as the live action-ish films. There’s massive robots and Kaiju overrunning Australia, which renders the whole continent inhabitable. Amid the mayhem, two siblings search for their missing parents and basically embark upon their search by piloting a Jaeger, which is their only shot at survival. The only thing that’s missing here is an obvious ingredient: Charlie Hunnam.

The United States vs. Billie Holiday (Hulu Original film) — Directed by Lee Daniels and starring Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Andra Day, this film follows the legendary jazz musician who was targeted in the 1940s by the federal government. This was all part of an effort to radicalize the war on drugs, which led to the feds attempting to stop Holiday’s “Strange Fruit” ballad from happening. It’s an at-times heart-wrenching portrait of a powerful civil rights activist and musical icon whose work still resonates, 80 years later and beyond.

Tom And Jerry (Warner Bros. film) — This live-action/CGI-animation hybrid follows the continuing legendary rivalry between the title cat and mouse. They’re taking a New York City hotel by storm and launching mayhem-filled adventures as a massive, high-profile wedding looms. Chloe Grace Moretz stars as a wedding planner who’s there to wrangle them, and I believe we can all guess how well that goes. Godspeed.

Punky Brewster: Season 1 (Peacock reboot series) — Hear me out here on this one. Reboot madness won’t stop (no matter what we do), and after NBCU’s streaming service did the Saved By The Bell thing (which is already renewed for a second season), the progression toward Punky Power shouldn’t be too surprising. In this series, Punky’s a single mom who finds herself inspired by meeting a young orphan who possesses of all her old spunk. Both Soleil Moon Frye and Cherie Johnson reprise their roles, and Freddie Prinze Jr. plays Punky’s ex-husband. Did she go by “Punky” or “Penelope” while taking wedding vows? I kind-of need to know.

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In a beautiful act of defiance, BYU’s LGBT students lit up ‘Y Mountain’ in rainbow colors

The dark mountains that overlook Provo, Utah were illuminated by a beautiful rainbow-colored “Y” on Thursday night just before 8 pm. The 380-foot-tall “Y” overlooks the campus of Brigham Young University, a private college owned by the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), commonly known as Mormons.

The display was planned by a group of around 40 LGBT students to mark the one-year anniversary of the university sending out a letter clarifying its stance on homosexual behavior.

“One change to the Honor Code language that has raised questions was the removal of a section on ‘Homosexual Behavior.’ The moral standards of the Church did not change with the recent release of the General Handbook or the updated Honor Code, ” the school’s statement read.


“Same-sex romantic behavior cannot lead to eternal marriage and is therefore not compatible with the principles included in the Honor Code,” it continued.

The clarification to the Honor Code came after a section banning “all forms of physical intimacy that give expression to homosexual feelings” was removed. LGBT students saw it as a signal that the university was softening its strict anti-LGBT policies. The removal inspired many to take photos of same-sex kisses in front of university landmarks and others to come out of the closet because they believed they were safe.

“That day felt like a betrayal for a lot of LGBTQ students,” Bradley Talbot, a gay student who organized the event, said according to the Salt Lake City Tribune. “It was traumatic. So this was a day for us to reclaim that and try to turn it into something positive.”

“If BYU won’t show their love to us, we’re going to make sure our love is visible to them,” Danny Niemann, a senior and gay student at the school, said before climbing the hill to light up the “Y.”

After the group of LGBT students turned off the lights and headed back down the mountain, they were met by police cars from the university, but no arrests were made. On the trailhead they were greeted by supporters who blasted “Born This Way” and “I Kissed a Girl” from their car speakers.

The university wasn’t impressed by the display.

The LDS Church has a long history of being anti-LGBT. All homosexual or same-sex sexual activity is forbidden by The Church and it believes that god doesn’t approve of same-sex marriage.

Therefore, all homosexual members are presented with three unhealthy lifestyle options. They can either attempt to change their sexual orientation, marry someone of the opposite sexual orientation or live a celibate lifestyle.

The lighting of the “Y” was applauded by Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds, a former BYU student and member of the LDS Church. Reynolds has a long history of supporting pro-LGBT causes.

The church has softened some of its anti-LGBT positions over the last few years. In 2019, it reversed a 2015 decision that classified people in same-sex marriages as “apostates.” It also allowed children from LGBT marriages to be baptized.

The LDS Church has a long history of bigotry, but LGBT members should find some solace that it has changed with the times, albeit decades too late. From the mid-1800s until 1978 it prevented most Black men from being ordained to the church’s lay priesthood, barred Black men and women from participating in the ordinances of its temples, and opposed interracial marriage.

The priesthood is bestowed upon “worthy” males and allows them to perform the work of god.

In 1978, President Spencer W. Kimball, received a “revelation” that allowed Black men to be part of the priesthood.

In 2013, the Church admitted its stances were motivated by bigotry.

Maybe the church can have a similar revelation that mirrors the times and will allow LGBT people the same rights as straight Mormons.