Mormons Gone Wild

After one man undresses missionaries for his calendar, LDS Church–owned Brigham Young University strips him of his degree.

By Dan Allen

An Advocate.com exclusive posted January 5, 2009

All images from the 2009 calendar, Mormons Exposed, Brian Dalthorp Photography

When they weren’t busy promoting the passage of California’s Proposition 8 in recent months, Mormon leaders tried their best to make Chad Hardy’s life hell. Riled by his “Men on a Mission” calendar of shirtless returned missionaries, elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints excommunicated Hardy -- a lifelong Mormon -- in July. Then in September, officials from the Provo, Utah–based Brigham Young University informed the 32-year-old entrepreneur, who had participated in the school’s graduation ceremony a month earlier, that his diploma would be denied. BYU says Hardy’s expulsion from the church placed him outside of the “good honor-code standing” necessary to award him his degree, which has been placed on nonacademic hold; Hardy contends that since he completed his coursework prior to excommunication, the rule should not apply. Meanwhile the 2008 skin-baring calendar has sold more than 10,000 copies, and Hardy -- who eschews sexual labels himself -- says the just-released (and “a little bit sexier”) 2009 incarnation is already “flying off the shelves.”

Will you sue BYU to get your degree?
Yes, but I haven’t been able to file yet because of the expense involved. My attorney has assured me that the church, with its financial resources, will likely attempt to bury me under legal pleadings in order to encourage me to give up. One attorney estimates my costs could exceed $30,000.

Have any of the guys featured in the calendar faced LDS discipline?
Not that I am aware of. Several of them were called in to meet with their local church leaders about the same time I was originally contacted [about disciplinary proceedings], three weeks after Thomas S. Monson became the president of the church. The models were not disciplined, nor did their local leaders have a problem with the calendar. I was singled out.

Do you still consider yourself Mormon at this point?
I feel that I’m a Mormon culturally, but not religiously. Mormonism is much like Judaism in that one may stop observing the practices of the religion, but culturally still identify with it. Mormonism has been a part of my family for six generations. I was raised in the faith, served a mission, and attended two LDS colleges. I was the model Mormon, no pun intended.

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Calendar images: Brian Dalthorp Photography courtesy of Mormons Exposed

Reader Comments

These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

Name: joacadeamine
Date posted: 2009-02-01 2:36 PM
Hometown: Bucharest, Romania

Comment:

I am shocked that, no matter if coming or not from one of the monolithic cum patriarchal cum atemporal communities of the States or not, the guys get under strict scrutiny and get their lathering quite a great deal. On the other hand, I think, and I guess that I will need to do some more research in Mormon belief than just reading the Book of Mormon and watching & reading 'Latter Days', that the Mormon society itself has some double standards. I mean the bonding principle of missionary communities cannot be all straight, even psychologically, there's a great deal of gay tumult going on there. So I think from there to sex - and from sex to exposure - it's just a tiny step. But I have to agree, all Mormon missionaries are hunks and inspire manhood, earnestness and burning desires. If I am to burn in (their) hell for saying that, I am ok with that.

Name: Ken
Date posted: 2009-01-15 9:53 PM
Hometown: Port Tobacco

Comment:

They have done nothing wrong with photo body images and a calendar to illustrate such! The true celebration of Christ and the men’s freedom of expression combined with their religious aspirations are without mark or of negative need to characterization or their removal of services evangelizing their current understanding of Christ’s gospels. God and flesh are in one image, again, and in one image with God for the world to enjoy as well and realize that beauty is not just skin deep but discoverable--just like God. While I have someone’s attention and for official record, Homosexuality is not a sin! Hating homosexuals for loving differently is a sin!

Name: david greene
Date posted: 2009-01-02 7:50 PM
Hometown: Canton Ohio

Comment:

A few years back on a cold blistering, absolutely frigid winter day I watched as two young Mormons went door to door on my street. Not one soul let them in. As I watched them approach my door, freezing as they were doing their religious duty, I opened the door to these two gentlemen, but made them stand outside shivering for about ten minutes (on purpose). I then welcomed them in for a nice warm room and a hot drink. After our brief discussion on religion and rights, I let them know that it was this Gay man that welcomed them in for warmth and shelter, just like Jesus would have done. Hopefully they learned something.

Name: William Luckeroth
Date posted: 2008-12-29 4:57 PM
Hometown: San Juan, Puerto Rico

Comment:

All religions are hostile to one another, therefore, they are zero-sum. Many reject the dogma, but still feel culturally to be part of the tribe as Mr. Hardy does. I hope that rational thought will set him free eventually. In the meantime, he will win in court if he sues for his diploma. My daughters studied at a Catholic high school that expelled two classmates who fell in love. The girl got pregnant. They sued and won because no regulation covering pregnancy existed. They both received their diplomas. Notwithstanding, this school made a regulation, and thereafter the parents of each and every student had to sign off on it. I thought this was inappropriate because it encourages students to resort to abortion. I objected to my daughters continuing, but signed because my ex-wife graduated from this school and refused to let them transfer them to a non-denominational school.

Name: Gene
Date posted: 2008-12-28 11:18 AM
Hometown: Fairfax, VA

Comment:

By and large the mormon "faith" is indeed a white man's club. I was a mormon for many years as boy scout and later as a BYU member, but left after a short stint assisting a local mission team. As someone who has seen the "church" from the inside, in my opinion it is definitely a cult. This group is all about power and money and will stop at nothing to get what they want. It's all about control and the men of LDS wield it freely toward women and people of color all over the world. I do hope he prevails in his lawsuit. In addition, I hope activists everywhere file lawsuits against them just as was done with the KKK. The actions that brought the KKK financial hardships can be done against the LDS, just as effectively. That coupled with a loss of their tax exempt status, for political activities would serve to slow down the steam roller against our community. A man can dream can't he? :)

Name: Rob
Date posted: 2008-12-24 10:29 PM
Hometown: Minden

Comment:

WOW! these guys are really HOTT! A LOT sexier than they were in those "mormon outfits"! But, let's get right down to brass tacks. These men are "missionaries", NOT "MONKS" To my knowledge, they're not required to remain celebate. Let's be honest about this. They're HOTT guys & they have a right to run around shirless, if they want! I DARE one, single solitairy person to show me in the Bible where it says that guys MUST remained covered at ALL times in public! The LDS Church is nothing more than a bunch of stuffy PRUDES that think..........ANYTHING that's enjoyable is a "sin"! So, just how DID the Osmunds get all them kids? Did they find 'em under cabbage leaves? NO, they had hott, steamy SEX! They need to learn that sex is NOT a dirty thing! It's NATURAL! So, all you LDS Church folks need to STOP all your Bible thumpin', loosin' your minds AND your thighs & learn what nature AND fun is all about & STOP critisizin' all of us who are!

Name: James Hayes-Bohanan, Ph.D.
Date posted: 2008-12-24 2:46 PM
Hometown: Bridgewater MA

Comment:

Thanks for including the photos with this story, because they show just how extreme this homophobia is -- these are simply men without shirts. Attractive men, sure, but is that a sin now, too? I am stunned that BYU is willing to risk its reputation on this case. If its degrees can be withdrawn for doctrinal cause -- and pretty flimsy doctrinal cause at that -- then its degrees have less value in mainstream higher education. If they do not back down, I predict that it will have trouble attracting faculty, and its students will have trouble going to non-church graduate schools. I wonder if BYU can even remain accredited with this kind of spurious condition imposed on the degree.

Name: Kevin
Date posted: 2008-12-24 1:24 PM
Hometown: Fort Lauderdale

Comment:

Whoa! Hold onto your Bibles, fellas (or is it The Book of Mormon?) -- is there a new type of Mormon in town? If one of these guys came to MY door (shirtless that is) I think they may have been able to recruit ME! Well... they would have had fun trying, anyway. These pics kind of remind me of those old skits they would do with a librarian all done up school-marm-ish (hair in bun, glasses, etc..) and then the "after" photos of her with her hair down, wild, sexy look in her eyes!! Well not sure about the rest of you, but I enjoyed the photos .. even though the group is full of bigotry and spreads hate and prejudice against gays.

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