Community Resources

This is the banner photo for the USGA website and Facebook pages. Look in the back row to see a familiar, handsome face. 

USGA at BYU

For this portfolio, I want to talk a little about Understanding Same Gender Attraction (USGA) at BYU and the resources available there. While the target demographic is focused a bit more on university students, the resources are great for both secondary students and their parents. First, though, I want to talk about how they helped me in high school.

It was around that time that I was coming to understand my sexuality and that I was not straight. As someone whose identity up to that point was centered on their Mormon religion, this was pretty tricky. I went into high school right on the tail of the whole Prop 8 debacle and how involved the Church was in that and it just drove me further into the closet. During my research into how to not be gay or how to fake being straight, I came across a video created by a group of BYU students called “It Gets Better.”

That video changed my life because it helped me understand that I didn’t have to be straight to be LDS or a student at BYU. It gave me the courage to go to BYU even though I knew I was gay. It also laid the foundations for me to come out when I felt ready and not worry about being kicked out of school. This was a great resource for me while I was still in high school.

I got to know the resources better when I got to BYU and eventually became a member of the leadership of USGA. There are several committees that work on different aspection of queer advocacy. I was mostly involved in the Outreach and Education committee. These are primarily responsible for helping educate people outside the queer community about issues and helping those within the community learn about things they never were taught (think back to your sex ed, if you had one, and how much they discussed issues specific to queer individuals). We also do panels in classrooms at BYU and helped coordinate with other organizations around the community.

This is where I think it is a great resource for people that aren’t at BYU. It is an LDS friendly atmosphere where parents can learn about queer issues and resources for their children. The panels can help educate them about issues they may not know their child will face. Especially being in Utah Valley, there is a lot of concern about how a LGBTQIA+ identity will affect an LDS identity. This is a great resource to help calm those fears that parents and students may have. Another thing that is offered is the website. It has compiled a list of resources outside of the organization that exist right here is Provo. Parents, who may be new to the LGBTQIA+ community, may be wary about doing a Google search for anything related to it so this helps them find many of those resources easily. I consider USGA a good launch pad for parents and secondary students with their issues right now, as well as almost a goal to look forward to: you can be queer at BYU.

I think that there are some risks presented to us within USGA. As with everything trying to bring about change, there are people that will push back. I think though that any risk is completely worth it. I want to be dedicated to helping everyone, especially oppressed minorities. I think that building a network of queer safe places is essential and really helpful for people in areas that may not be as tolerant.