Both students at Brigham Young University in the mid and late 1970s, Loreen Major and Dale Miller will share their powerful stories in a structured conversation led by historian and Mildred Berryman Institute Chair, Connell O’Donovan.

Together, Loreen and Dale will reflect on navigating BYU’s academic, religious, and social pressures as queer students, and how they survived an era of institutionalized shame and repression. This event shines a light on lived history often left unspoken, contributing to a fuller understanding of Utah’s not-so-distant LGBTIQ+ past.

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Loreen Major was born and raised in California. She and her partner were one of the first lesbian couples married in Utah. She attended BYU from 1975 to 1979 and graduated with a BS in Educational Psychology. With Special Education as a focus, she taught grades K-12 for 33 years. Loreen is the mother of two children and currently resides in Lehi, Utah.

For Dale Miller, growing up in a small east Texas town was tough for an artistic kid. But dance saved him. After two missionaries visited, he realized he could join the church and be a part of BYU’s nationally recognized dance programs and thus get the benefit of low tuition there. After he began attending in January 1973, he discovered that society and BYU had the same rules – that it was ok to be gay as long as it was hidden.

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Zoom link for remote attendance available: https://utah.zoom.us/j/99857636037

🌈 Past lectures can be accessed on our YouTube channel or on the Berryman Lecture Series page.