Axson-Flynn v. Johnson

EBEL, Circuit Judge.

In 1998, Plaintiff Christina Axson-Flynn entered the University of Utah’s Actor Training Program (ATP). Axson-Flynn, who is Mormon, refused to say the word “fuck” or take God’s name in vain during classroom acting exercises. During Ax-son-Flynn’s first semester in the program, Defendants — all ATP faculty members— told Axson-Flynn to “get over” her refusal to use those words, saying that not using the words would stunt her growth as an actor. Axson-Flynn did not “get over” her refusal to say the words and eventually left the ATP (and the University of Utah) before the end…