Student at Ogden charter school to host LGBTQ Youth Prom

OGDEN, Utah — A student at an Ogden charter school will host an event later this month that she says will provide a safe space for LGBTQ youth in the area. Jocelyn Anglesey is hosting the Ogden Queer Prom at the Davinci Academy of Science and Art. According to Anglesey, LGBTQ teens often find it difficult going to an event where they are not discriminated against.

“A lot of kids do not feel safe to go to their dances or they might not even be allowed to go to their dances,” Anglesey said. “I wanted a place that was safe for everyone to come.”

LGBTQ Youth Prom

The Utah Pride Center in Salt Lake City has events for LGBTQ teens as part of their Youth and Family programs. However, Anglesey said that for teens in Ogden, Salt Lake City can be inaccessible. And that is why she says the LGBTQ Youth Prom will give teens a chance to socialize, find resources and support outside of their schools and their parents, some of whom she says show little to no support for their teens.

‘The rate of child abuse from enduring it from their own parents or loved ones is such a high percentage, especially in Utah,” Anglesey said. 

According to the Trevor Project, a non-profit focused on suicide prevention among LGBTQ teens, research shows that only one third of LGBTQ teens in the U.S. had parents who supported them. They also report that the likelihood of suicide among teens in that demographic is four times higher than their peers and that at least one LGBTQ teen attempts suicide every 45 seconds.

“It is something that is not OK, and it needs to stop,” Anglesey said.

Ultimately, she believes that LGBTQ teens need more places to go, along with additional resources, to be out of unsafe situations. That is why she is hosting this prom as a way to provide that safe space for teens looking for a stronger support system.

The Ogden Queer Prom will be held March 26 from 7 to 11 p.m. at the Davinci Academy of Science and Art. The event is for teens ages 13 to 19, and the cost is $5 to attend.

Additional information can be found on Twitter.

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