In case you missed it, or if you were hoping we took notes, you’re in luck!
Here are the key takeaways from September’s meeting.
Did you know? You can also view this email online to listen to it read aloud to you! Just click the link at the top of this page to “listen online.”
TLDR:
(Too Long, Didn’t Read)
Next meeting: Tuesday October 29th. We’ve been thinking about doing a “State of the Valley” type of meeting before the holidays. Respond to this email to let us know what you think would be meaningful!
Logan Pride festival and the Giant Pumpkin festival were massive successes! It was incredible to see everyone who showed up to help us with the booth, donate their time or money, and enjoy a day full of LGBTQ+ celebration and visibility here in Cache Valley!
It’s that time of year to get out and vote! We share a bunch of great resources for voting and advocating for LGBTQ+ folks in Utah this election and upcoming legislative session.
We had special guests Patrick Belmont and Becky Quay come to our meeting to discuss their experiences running for legislative positions this election and to answer our questions about their positions.
Celebration Cycle
You can use this QR code to donate directly to the Collective!
Check out our instagram! @cachelgbtqcollective
We have a way for people to donate money directly to the Collective now!
We started an LLC in order to open a bank account so we could start accepting monetary donations!
We’re still looking into ways to be a nonprofit and what the benefit of that would be. LLC is just the first, quickest step!
Special thanks to Jax Gold (he/him) for making this happen!
We have an Instagram!! Yay!
Special thanks to Dannon Loveland (he/him) for taking this project on and making it a reality!
Police arrested somebody affiliated with the Logan Pride House flag vandalism
Hopefully vandalism like this will decrease as a result
Cache Pride Center benefit Yard Sale raised over $2200!
Thank you to all of those who helped by donating items or volunteering your time to help Cache Pride Center get much needed funding!
They are in need of a trailer to move things that didn’t sell. Send us a message if you think you could help!
Logan Pride Festival was simply wonderful! Thank you to everyone who made it possible to put up a beautiful booth and run it all day. It was an amazing opportunity to connect with local LGBTQ+ folks, allies, and supportive organizations. We also received generous donations totaling $110!!!
The Logan Pride Festival booth!
Did you make any cool connections at Pride? Did you learn about any groups you think the Collective should make sure the community knows more about? Email us at [email protected] to let us know!
Logan Pride’s chain of connection!
Check out our banner in the back!
The Pumpkin Festival was also a resounding success! It was a great opportunity to meet folks who perhaps wouldn’t know about the Collective otherwise, and introduce them to the work that we’re doing. It was a lot of fun to play giant Jenga and build our Kindness Chain. When we estimated the lengths of the Logan Pride chain and the Pumpkin Festival chains together, we think we gathered over 100 feet of kindness for the LGBTQ+ community here in Logan!
Our awesome volunteers Kenny and Nathan running the Pumpkin Festival booth!
The community Kindness Chain!
The giant pumpkin that grew from the Kindness Chain
Do you have photos you want to share? Email them to us at [email protected]!
We received exciting interest in the Collective from members of the community at both of these events. It was an awesome opportunity to spread the word. We’re so excited to keep building this momentum and are hoping to have new faces at our October meeting!
Help us Spread the Word!
Print and share these fliers around town! Email it to people you think would like to be there! Find it on our social media and share those posts!
Special Topic - Legislative Advocacy
With the November election nearly upon us, we wanted to highlight some resources and information relevant to Collective members and the work we do.
What counts as valid voter ID in the state of Utah? Check out this page to find out: https://vote.utah.gov/voter-id-requirements/
Need increased accessibility or support to vote? Check out Utah’s page on information for voters with disabilities: https://vote.utah.gov/information-for-voters-with-disabilities/
Utah Voter resources
https://vote.utah.gov/ is a great resource. You can learn more about the candidates, verify your voter registration information, update your mailing address, etc.
For information about voting rights in Utah for trans folks, check out Vote Riders’ webpage: https://www.voteriders.org/pride/utah/
All In to Vote has more resources for trans voters: https://allintovote.org/learn/resources-for-trans-voters/
Important dates for Cache County (from https://www.cachecounty.gov/elections/):
Ballots Mailed: October 15
Voter Registration Deadline: October 25 at 5:00 pm
In-Person Early Voting: October 29 - November 01
Postmark Deadline for Mailed Ballot: November 04
Received Deadline for Dropbox Ballot: November 05 at 8:00 pm
Regular General Election Day: November 05 (in-person voting)
TIME: 7:00 am - 8:00 pm
LOCATION: Cache County Event Center (Fairgrounds), Rooms #2 and #3, 490 South 500 West, Logan, Utah 84321
To learn more about the candidates and issues near you, visit https://votesearch.utah.gov/voter-search/search/search-by-address/candidates-and-issues
LGBTQ+ Legislative Advocacy in Utah
The Utah general session starts back up on January 21st, 2025 and runs until March 7. This is a very short, very busy time of year for our legislators!
If you want to have your voice heard, there are many ways to get involved during various bills’ hearings during the session. Many advocacy groups post about their opportunities for involvement on social media or in email blasts. However, if you really want to make a difference, you must be building those relationships with legislators before January 21st.
How do you do that, though?
Redwine.blue is an organization of “suburban women working together to defeat extremism”. Their website has resources about fighting book bans, understanding Project 2025, a parent playbook to help you “fight back against extremism in your local schools”, and more!
Mama Dragons is doing a lot of work in this area in particular. Check out their resource page on legal and policy issues for LGBTQ+ folks here.
Mama Dragons “In the Den” Podcast Episodes regarding Legislation:
Episode 11 March 13 & 17, 2023 parts 1&2
Episode 53 January 8, 2024
Episode 83 August 19, 2024
Mama Dragons “In the Den” Podcast Episode specifically regarding what to do about Book Banning:
Episode 78 July 15, 2024
They are training Mama Dragons members in Creative Conversations: How to tell your own story of being/parenting an LGBTQ+ person and how recent legislation has impacted you/your child negatively, including how to call your legislator(s) to action.
Melissa Draper is specifically looking for 3-4 other parents who would like to meet with legislators representing us in Cache Valley and share our stories of how the anti-trans bills have affected our kids sometime this month.
This weekend is the LUV Conference!!
October 18-19: in conjunction with Dragon Dads, Flourish Therapy, Mormon Mental Health Association, Utah Pride Center, Equality Utah and Encircle
Thanks to a generous donor, Mama Dragons is offering $50 tickets to the LUV Conference until Tuesday! This limited-time discount applies to a set number of tickets, so grab yours while they last!
luvwithoutlimits.org
Use code: LUV50DONOR at checkout.
ACLU of Utah also has great resources for preparing for this election and getting involved in important policy matters: https://www.acluutah.org/
Equality Utah is heavily involved in supporting LGBTQ+ rights during the legislative session. Check out their Election resource page and their Take Action tab to get concrete ideas of how to help: https://www.equalityutah.org/
Special Guests
Since the election is coming up, for September’s meeting we wanted to focus on helping Collective folks learn how to get involved. To help with this, we invited some local community members running for political office in Logan to talk about their experiences, answer questions, and hear about the issues most important to the LGBTQ+ community.
First, we met Becky Quay, a local educator running for a seat on the Logan City School District School Board. If you live in the Logan City school district, you’ll see her on your ballot this November. Quay’s mission is to “represent students, educators, and community members and work collaboratively to promote policies and practices that prioritize educational excellence and equity. Through community engagement, policy advocacy, and educational growth, Becky strives to create an inclusive and supportive environment where all students can be successful.”
Quay attended many of the 2022 meetings at the Logan City school district when they were holding public meetings to discuss educators’ ability to put up Pride flags or supportive signs for LGBTQ+ students. She said she is “hoping to be able to show up for those kids who need the support” from someone on the board. She talked to us about the important role school boards have in interpreting and implementing state and federal law regarding education. Having allies on our local school boards is such. an important part of helping LGBTQ+ youth feel supported and safe in Cache Valley.
You can read more about Becky and her campaign here: https://www.votebeckyquay.com/. She also recently did an interview with the Herald Journal, which you can read here: https://bit.ly/beckyquayarticle. If you’re passionate about her campaign, reach out and see how you can get involved!
Then we heard from Patrick Belmont, who is running as an Independent to represent Utah House District 3 this upcoming election. This district includes Logan, River Heights, and Richmond. Check out this link to see if Patrick is in your district: https://le.utah.gov/GIS/findDistrict.jsp. His policy priorities focus on the economy, the environment, affordable housing, and education.
Belmont talked about his hope to encourage positive, collaborative discourse in the Utah legislature. “Throughout his 20+ year professional career he has been known for asking the right questions to get to the heart of matters, listening and doing the hard work needed to understand all sides of complex issues, and bringing people together around common values.” He highlighted the interconnectedness of social justice and climate issues. He also emphasized the importance of coming together on common values to change minds.
You can read more about him here: https://www.belmont4utah.org/. He was also highlighted in a recent article in the Herald Journal, which you can read here: https://bit.ly/patrickbelmontarticle. If you’re passionate about his campaign, reach out and see how you can get involved!
Their Advice
Both of them spoke to their experiences running as political candidates and offered the following advice to folks considering it:
Bring 10 friends. It’s much more fun! - Belmont
Believe that the person in this role is you and can be you. - Quay
“It has to be about reasonable people coming together and building a critical mass…” so that change and running a campaign can “become so much easier on everyone.” - Belmont
“Every student matters.” Quay emphasized connecting with voters and individuals on what is truly important.
“Working on a campaign can be really fun.” Belmont mentioned shifting that nervous energy to excitement.
There are many different roles for campaign volunteers to fill; it doesn’t have to be all cold calling or door knocking. Reach out to find out what roles might work best for you!
Ultimately, remember that your voice matters. LGBTQ+ folks in Utah need us to show up for them and prove that we care.
Thanks for reading! We look forward to seeing you on October 29th!
