Kanaan VyShonne Barton says he’s following all other school rules but shouldn’t have to cut his hair: ‘My locs represent strength’
A Black student at a Mormon university in Hawaii said he has been told by staff to cut his shoulder-length hair because it does not adhere to school policies, he said.
Kanaan VyShonne Barton, a student at Brigham Young University-Hawaii, told the Salt Lake Tribune he has been engaged in a battle with the school since September over the length of his hair, which he has refused to cut.
The university requires students to follow an “honor code”, which states hair should be “neatly trimmed”, although the code has no official guidance on length.
Apparently, I have more than you do. It’s not hard to leave the Mormon church. As someone with family members in an actual cult, I find it very stupid to conflate the two. People leave that church every day with no more consequences than an extra measure of condescension from neighbors.
Not one penny less, no property taken. No threat to life. You water down the term “cult” by being so reactive about it.
Maybe they can be easier for adults without familial attachment to leave. But we’re talking about a child here trying to build a life, that is an immeasurably more complex and difficult task. Don’t water down the organized abuse by claiming it’s not a cult.