SALT LAKE CITY – A Mormon student who studied drama at the University of Utah is suing the school, claiming she was forced to leave the drama program after refusing to say lines that contained profanity.
In a lawsuit filed Jan. 13, Christian Axson-Flynn seeks unspecified damages for violation of her religious freedom, according to The Associated Press.
Axson-Flynn said faculty members did not allow her to substitute words in a scene containing languages she considered offensive, even though during the audition to the program she had informed faculty of her objections to “taking the Lord’s name in vain” and “saying the F-word.” A faculty member told her to “get over” her objections and said she could “still be a good Mormon” if she used profanity.
Eventually, Axson-Flynn claimed, she was told to withdraw from the drama program.
Requiring his client to use profanity would be analogous to requiring a Jewish student enrolled in a cooking course to eat pork, said Axson-Flynn’s lawyer, James McConkie.
A university spokesman said the theater department disputes the woman’s claims.
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