 | |
| Founded | 2016 [1] |
|---|---|
| Founders | Stephenie Larsen |
| Headquarters | Provo, Utah |
| Website | encircletogether.org |
Encircle is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides support and counselling for LGBTQ+ students and their families at multiple locations in Utah. [1] [2] [3]
Encircle was founded in 2016 by Stephanie Larsen. [1] It was set up to help LGBTQ+ youth survive homophobia in the predominantly Mormon communities of Utah, [4] [5] [6] [7] and to help Mormons to become more accepting of LGBTQ+ people. [4] [8]
It opened to clients in Provo in February 2017, [4] expanding to Salt Lake City in January 2018. [1] In February 2019 it moved its Salt Lake City center to a larger site. [9] It opened a location in St. George in October 2020, [10] [11] [12] and as of January 2021 was readying a location in Heber. [2] [5] By June 2020, Encircle had more than 900 monthly clients. [13]
Tyler Domgaard, the Program Manager of the Salt Lake City location, was arrested and charged in August 2020 for the possession of child pornography. [14]
In February 2021, Tim Cook, Ryan Smith, and Dan Reynolds announced they were donating a combined US$4 million to Encircle to open new locations in Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, and Utah. [15] [16] By October 2021, an additional $5 million was raised for the same campaign through additional donors including many business, individuals, and The State of Utah. The funds are being used to open nine new homes, a "Sustainability Fund" and Encircle Cafe. [17]
In June 2019, Encircle cancelled its relationship with Flourish, a for-profit organization that had provided Encircle's therapy services. [18] The change disrupted patient care, but Encircle said the change was necessary to protect Encircle's non-profit status. [18] Some patients left Encircle in order to continue seeing their existing therapists from Flourish, prompting Flourish to investigate converting to nonprofit status to make the therapy affordable. [18]
Steve Young was one of the earliest donors and supporters of Encircle. He said, "Ensuring a safe, affirming place exists for LGBTQ+ young people to find friends, and for their parents to find support and guidance is vital - and Encircle is the organization to do just that.” [19]
In October 2021, Utah State Governor Spencer Cox voiced his support saying, "Many of Utah's LGBTQ youth face higher rates of depression, anxiety and social isolation, and that's why Encircle is so important. Finding a place for support, encouragement and belonging can make all the difference for LGBTQ youth and families, and Encircle provides that safe space. I'm proud to support Encircle as it serves thousands of Utah's most vulnerable youth." [17]
The following organizations are listed as "Generous Community Supporters": [19]
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is the largest Latter Day Saint denomination, tracing its roots to its founding by Joseph Smith during the Second Great Awakening. The church is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, and has established congregations and built temples worldwide. According to the church, as of 2023, it has over 17.2 million members of which over 6.8 million live in the U.S. The church also reports over 99,000 volunteer missionaries and 350 temples.
Utah is a state in the Southwest United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region of the Western United States with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to its northeast, Idaho to its north, and Nevada to its west. In comparison to all the U.S. states and territories, Utah, with a population of just over three million, is the 13th largest by area, the 30th most populous, and the 11th least densely populated. Urban development is mostly concentrated in two regions: the Wasatch Front in the north-central part of the state, which includes the state capital, Salt Lake City, and is home to roughly two-thirds of the population; and Washington County in the southwest, which has somewhat more than 180,000 residents. Most of the western half of Utah lies in the Great Basin.
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Affirmation: LGBTQ Mormons, Families, & Friends is an international organization for individuals who identify as gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual, queer, intersex, or same-sex attracted, and their family members, friends, and church leaders who are members or former members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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KMYU is a television station licensed to St. George, Utah, United States, serving as the MyNetworkTV affiliate for the state of Utah. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside Salt Lake City–based CBS affiliate KUTV and independent station KJZZ-TV. The stations share studios on South Main Street in downtown Salt Lake City; KMYU's transmitter is located atop Webb Hill, 2+1⁄4 miles (3.6 km) south of downtown St. George. Previously, KMYU-TV maintained separate studios in the J. C. Snow Building on East St. George Boulevard in downtown St. George, while KUTV's facilities only housed KMYU's master control and some internal operations.
The basic beliefs and traditions of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have a cultural impact that distinguishes church members, practices and activities. The culture is geographically concentrated in the Mormon Corridor in the United States, and is present to a lesser extent in many places of the world where Latter-day Saints live.
All homosexual sexual activity is condemned as sinful by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in its law of chastity, and the church teaches that God does not approve of same-sex marriage. Adherents who participate in same-sex sexual behavior may face church discipline. Members of the church who experience homosexual attractions, including those who self-identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual remain in good standing in the church if they abstain from same-sex marriage and any homosexual sexual activity or sexual relationships outside an opposite-sex marriage. However, all people, including those in same-sex relationships and marriages, are permitted to attend the weekly Sunday meetings.
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LGBT people and the Latter Day Saint movement | |
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