Hi y’all,
I hope everyone is staying warm and taking good care of themselves right now. We want the Collective to be a source of support, action, and hopefulness during scary times like these. Make sure you join our Facebook group and Discord channel to stay connected.
This month’s newsletter recaps what you might have missed at January’s meeting and highlights the resources and events coming up. It’s a bit of a long one because there are so many pictures and documents for resources. Use the Table of Contents to navigate if there’s something in particular you’re looking for!
We’re also excited to see everyone at this month’s Collective meeting on Tuesday, February 25th! It’s our 1 year anniversary of our first official meeting all together, so we’re gonna celebrate!
Table of Contents
January Meeting Recap
We had a great social hour before our meeting, with the most dinner guests to date! Thank you so much to those of you who brought food and helped make it a delicious community meal.
Our meeting began with a brief recap of the Collective and our mission.
Then we spent some much-needed time, space, and energy talking about how scary and difficult and frustrating this new year has been for those who are and who love LGBTQ+ folks.
We reviewed October’s meeting and the key feedback we gathered about our current valley and our hopes for the future. You can read more about that in this newsletter: https://cachelgbtqcollective.beehiiv.com/p/january-meeting-tomorrow
If you want to see all the slides, you can download them here:
Or keep reading for the highlights!
Community Announcements
We shared announcements about upcoming events we knew about and those you all shared with us. Early February had a lot of exciting events supporting the LGBTQ+ community! Read on to see what upcoming events we have to look forward to.
Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week
Feb 16th-22nd
The term aromantic “commonly describes someone who experiences little to no romantic attraction, abbreviated to aro.
It also describes someone whose experience of romance is disconnected from normative societal expectations, due to feeling repulsed by romance, or being uninterested in romantic relationships.”
Learn more about aromanticism and this awareness week by visiting arospecweek.org
Upcoming Local Events
Some protests happening on President’s Day:
On February 19th, join Logan Pride, Cache Pride Center, and the Bear River Regional LGBTQ+ Coalition for a queer clothing swap!
If you have anything you’d like to donate in advance, Logan Pride is accepting donations on Feb 17th from Noon to 4pm.
Image of the Queer Clothing Swap Poster with details about the event on February 19th.
Image of the HRT Application flyer for Logan Pride, featuring a rainbow frame and images of testosterone and estrogen medications.
Logan Pride is also running two amazing scholarships for LGBTQ+ folks in need!
One is for HRT, and the other is for mental health services. Applications are open through March 1st, 2025.
Visit this link to learn more and fill out the application: https://loganpride.org/resources/scholarships/
Image of the Mental Health Services scholarship flyer from Logan Pride, featuring a graphic of two hands holding a stylized brain.
Upcoming Online Event
SAGE USA, the organization for Advocacy and Services for LGBTQ+ Elders, is hosting a webinar on Trump’s first 30 days and their impact on LGBTQ+ older people.
Register to attend online on Feb 20th at 1pm MST: www.sageusa.org/first30
Collective Announcements
We launched our Legislative Action Committee!
Its goal is to support LGBTQ+ advocacy during Utah's legislative session, and perhaps beyond where needed. The committee aims to make policy advocacy more accessible by sharing the workload among members, making it easier for everyone to take action when needed.
If you would like to be part of this, please check out the application: https://forms.gle/ejcHtX3tcafpAStR7
We announced that we’re seeking applications for our leadership committee, which we’re calling Collective Stewards!
Available roles:
Records Steward
Communications Steward
Advocacy Steward
Social Connection Steward
Community Steward
Education Steward
Time commitment: 5-10 hours a month
Learn more and apply at: https://forms.gle/DuqGAksKjLtrEHs79
Resources
We shared some for mental health:
A list of LGBTQ+ mental health crisis resources and the contact information for each
May call the police to respond:
The Trevor Project: Call 1-866-488-7386, text "START" to 678-678, or chat online at thetrevorproject.org
988 Lifeline: Call and press 3 for an LGBTQI+ informed crisis counselor, text PRIDE to 988, or chat online at 988lifeline.org
Crisis Text Line: Text "HOME" to 741-741
A list of mental health crisis resources that don’t call the police, and the contact information for each
Will not call the police to respond:
Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860
Thrive Lifeline: 313-662-8209
Trans-led and operated
Blackline: call 800-604-5841
Centers BIPOC, LGBTQ+, Black Femme lens
StrongHearts Native Helpline: 844-762-8483
We recommended some good people to follow on social media or online for legislative awareness and advocacy:
Erin in the Morning: www.erininthemorning.com (National, LGBTQ+ focus)
ACLU Utah: www.acluutah.org (Local, civil liberties focus)
Equality Utah: equalityutah.org/advocacy (Local, LGBTQ+ focus)
We also shared about the resources and printouts we’ve made in the past for LGBTQ+ folks and their allies in the valley. Feel free to download, print, and share!
Make a Difference
Lastly, we discussed ways people can make a difference in small ways in their communities:
More actions folks at the meeting suggested that individuals could do or the Collective could facilitate:
Wearing pride pins and apparel when out and about
Workshops on various topics - hard conversations, emotional intelligence, coping skills, suicide prevention, allyship, etc.
Videos or recordings of simple tips and tricks to show support
Thanking people who are supportive
Hosting events and gatherings for social connection and support
Attending existing community events and gatherings - Cache Valley Mutual Aid, Logan Pride, local churches, library events, etc.
If you want to buy Girl Scout cookies from trans kids to support them, check out this list from Erin in the Morning:
Remember to find us on social media or Discord to get the quickest updates and connect with other like-minded folks!
Thanks for reading! We look forward to seeing you on February 25th!
Please share these flyers with folks who you think would be interested. See you soon!
