Feb 07 2020 60 mins 44
Calvin Burke is the most followed student at Brigham Young University on Twitter, where he shares his experience being both gay and a devoted, believing member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with over 8,600 followers. When not sharing his experience at the complicated intersection of faith and identity, Calvin’s passions are writing, theology, and church history. He currently works as a research assistant to Dr. Terryl L. Givens at BYU’s Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship. Calvin has participated in conferences and panels devoted to both Latter-Day Saint scholarship and LGBTQ+ issues at Claremont Graduate University and BYU. His work has been published in By Common Consent and LDS Living, and Calvin’s words have been covered by KSL, The Salt Lake Tribune, NPR, and The Daily Beast. Calvin is grateful for any opportunity to help members of the church follow the apostolic counsel of President M. Russell Ballard, to “listen to and understand what our LGBT brothers and sisters are feeling and experiencing… so that all members feel they have a spiritual home where their brothers and sisters love them…”
