The overly polite Mormon skit comedy show Studio C ruffles few feathers and plucks none, but one staff writer seems to enjoy brushing up against the limits from time to time.
“It’s not like I want to push my agenda of barely acknowledging that the gay community exists,” said faithful rebel Tandon Meyer. “It’s just that I want my skit to have a guy wearing a rainbow on his shirt, where someone says to him ‘Did that shirt just come out of your closet?’”
Meyer hasn’t been the first to want to at least touch base on the cultural cues that other comedy shows—like his personal favorite, Saturday Night Live—do. According to some of the senior writers, there was in the past a skit that was axed due to the nature of it being pro-caffeinated beverages on BYU campus.
Studio C is BYUtv’s darling and aims to create a safe place to laugh for Mormons devoid of the constant fear of something being represented that challenges Mormon beliefs or culture in any way. “There’s something unique about not using swear words and I think that’s what’s so cool!” says writer Bailey Pratt. “I know that Studio C will always respect the fact that some things outside of my worldview are REALLY uncomfortable.”
Mel Sorensen, the content quality control supervisor, makes sure the students don’t get irreverent. Sorensen, who is known to issue disapproving looks and PI’s (private interviews) at any given time, said of Meyer, “If he thinks he’s going to graduate with a skit containing any acknowledgement of that… choice, then he’s going to have to be better at suppressing this… choice.”
It’s yet to be seen whether Tandon Meyer will face expulsion from Brigham Young University or any church discipline, but the whispering among colleagues is that the Mormon Maverick is definitely asking for it.
UPDATE:
Tandon Meyer has just been expelled from Brigham Young University and excommunicated from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
This article seems to be missing something. The way it’s written, it seems like Tandon Meyer was expelled and excommunicated on the basis that he wanted to include a single joke about a shirt “coming out of the closet.” This seems like a very severe punishment for something that seems innocent, and that was ultimately not executed. What is the real reason why he was expelled? The writer of this article makes it seem like BYU is willing to expel people just for thinking about making jokes about homosexuality and/or the acknowledgement of alternative life…choices. Either BYU isn’t such a great place, or this article isn’t telling the full story.
This article is from over a year ago, but I just read it. I’ve been watching Studio C for years, and I am completely horrified by this silent but serious homophobia. I’m inclined to think that BYU isn’t a good place