BYU’s Gayest Lighting Rig and the Film that Followed

David Sant never set out to make a feature-length documentary. At first, it was just an idea for a short film meant to capture a moment — the night students lit the “Y” on Brigham Young University’s mountain in rainbow colors. But the more Sant uncovered, the more he realized this was about more than just one event. “We kept wanting to end the film, but BYU kept doing stupid shit,” says the film’s producer, Taylor Pace.

A Long Way From Heaven “outlines the entire history of queer treatment at BYU but centers around the lighting of the school’s ‘Y’ in rainbow colors in 2021,” Sant explains.

Sant was a BYU student in 2020 when protests erupted over the university’s treatment of LGBTQ+ students. The Honor Code Office had removed language banning “homosexual behavior” from its rules, leading many students to believe the policy had changed. But just weeks later, BYU officials clarified that nothing had changed — queer students were still expected to live in the shadows. The announcement sparked protests, with students publicly demanding change for the first time.

“We kept wanting to end the film, but BYU kept doing stupid shit.”

Sant knew what it was like to be queer on that campus: the fear. The constant pressure to hide. The rules that made it clear LGBTQ+ students weren’t welcome. “I did not join them and always felt really bad about that. I thought even standing up would get me in trouble and get me kicked out,” says Sant. That’s when the project became personal.

What started as a simple documentary about one event turned into A Long Way From Heaven, a film that traces the history of queer students at BYU. Sant and his team kept pushing deeper, uncovering decades of stories. “We found ourselves creeping further and further back in history to contextualize why what is happening now is so important,” says Sant.

Sant recalled how, in early 2020, student activism was finally building momentum — then COVID-19 hit and everything stopped. “Things were really, really amping up, and COVID instantaneously killed all of it,” he says. “That’s why the rainbow-lit ‘Y’ mattered so much. It was a bold statement in a place that often tries to erase queer identities, something that said ‘You will never get rid of us.’ [It was] so big and so dramatic that it almost makes it worth it,” Sant says.

“Anger is quite literally the most useful tool that marginalized groups have in their arsenal.”

There’s one person who made it possible — a person Sant doesn’t even know. “I’m the one that made the documentary on the project, and I still don’t know his name,” he says. That’s how carefully this individual protected their identity. “No one has ever come forward to take credit [ for the rainbow ‘Y’ ],” Sant says. “He’s like gay Batman.”

The process was emotionally exhausting. The more Sant learned, the angrier he got. “It was a miserable experience to make this film. It was extremely difficult and made me so angry all of the time.” However, Sant used this to his advantage. “I think the most important lesson that I have learned from this film is that I was culturally taught that anger is a negative emotion that I should not be experiencing, and I have come to the exact opposite viewpoint — that anger is quite literally the most useful tool that marginalized groups have in their arsenal,” says Sant.

“No one has ever come forward to take credit [ for the rainbow ‘Y’ ]. He’s like gay Batman.”

Sant wanted the film to reach as many people as possible, so he made sure to screen it at festivals with diverse audiences — LDS church members, non-members, devout believers and harsh critics. The response was the same. “Everyone that has seen this film has loved it and told me that it felt important,” says Sant.

Sant knows that A Long Way From Heaven won’t change BYU’s policies overnight. But that’s not the point. He believes in the power of visibility. He believes that telling these stories, putting them on screen and making sure they’re heard is a form of resistance in itself. That’s why he chose to tell this story. Keep up with the project on Instagram at @rainbowyfilm for updates and screenings.

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