Utah Pride Center holds education conference: Pride not Prejudice

The Utah Pride Center invited teachers and school administrators from across Utah to attend a training in January that focused on helping LGBTQ and other students in their daily lives. Organizers said the training could save lives.

According to the Center, only seven out of 429 public and private high schools in Utah have a GSA group registered in 2021. They hope to get teachers, administrators, students, and parents on board across the state for a crucial conversation about inclusion.

“This is such an important piece of building community within our schools and inclusion. It’s just basic suicide prevention,” said Amanda Darrow, director of the Center’s Youth, Family, and Education program.

The conference, titled Pride, Not Prejudice: An LGBTQIA+ Conference for Utah Educators, Students, and Caregivers, was designed to explore how to create an inclusive environment for students.

The two-day conference had 52 speakers in eight categories. Some of the topics included an LGBTQIA+ cultural competency, gender creative education, creating inclusive learning environments, disability and gender, and radical self-love.

The conference had different tracks for school administrators, teachers, caregivers/parents, and students.

“When we bring in the admin, we’re looking at policies. What policies can help our LGBTQIA students at the school level?” Darrow said. “And then we bring in the educators. Okay, what can we do to make your classrooms more inclusive?”

Darrow said students learned how to advocate for themselves to make their class, school, and life more inclusive to their life experience.

Caregivers and parents learned how to support their kids.

Over 300 people registered for the conference, which was nearly ten times the previous year’s attendance.