Tweet
It doesn't matter if you're man or woman, gay or straight, dark- or light-skinned. All can equally submit guest posts to Modern Mormon Men. Write something now and submit via email.
My name is Ethan Unklesbay. I'm a Junior in Spanish Teaching at BYU. After growing up in southwest Ohio, I served a mission in Chile, Rancagua. I play the guitar, the harmonica, and enough piano to get myself into trouble (because I can't actually play any hymns). I love literature, especially in Spanish or from Spain. Being a Mormon is awesome, but sometimes I think it gets complicated, and that more so at BYU than elsewhere. Scott Hales recommended me to MMM while he and I were on a trip through Logan (to visit the temple) and Brigham City (to visit the grave of Nephi Anderson's first wife, Asenath). Read all of Ethan's guest posts here.
I was in the Wilkinson Student Center at BYU. It was May 2nd, and the campus was bustling with activity.
To my left there were women. To my right there were women. In front of me, women. Behind me was an extra ice cream cart … and more women. The men's bathrooms had been converted for the week into women's bathrooms. I hadn't seen that much pink since the last time I saw pictures of oral surgery. It was kind of crazy.
In the bookstore there were probably 5 to 10 men. Proportionally, that was about 3% I'd guess.
Driving in Provo. Need I say more.
But this happens every year. This is "normal" as far as springtime on campus goes.
What if there were a Men's Conference?
I can imagine it now. No wait for the bathroom. Nobody in the bookstore. No line for brownies or ice cream. Bronco Mendenhall would be a keynote speaker. The bowling alley and pool tables downstairs would be full instead of the terrace and the bathrooms. Instead of a Hillary Weeks concert, it might be Imagine Dragons (they're Mormons, right?) or maybe The Killers (their lead singer is definitely Mormon). It would take three hours to get anything from Taco Bell … or Scoreboard, the burger place … vending machines empty and no hot wings left in the Utah Valley.
Maybe Men's Conference isn't my best idea. Let's just stick with the Priesthood Session.