Understanding Sexuality, Gender, and Allyship
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USGA (Understanding Sexuality, Gender, and Allyship, previously Understanding Same-Gender Attraction)[5] is an organization for LGBTQ Brigham Young University students and their allies.[10] It began meeting on BYU campus in 2010 to discuss issues relating to homosexuality and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).[1][11] However, by December 2012, USGA began meeting off campus at the Provo City Library[12][13] and is still banned from meeting on campus as of 2018.[14][15] BYU campus currently offers no official LGBT-specific resources as of 2016.[16] The group maintains political neutrality and upholds BYU's Honor Code. It also asks all participants to be respectful of BYU and the LDS Church.[17] The group received national attention when it released its 2012 "It Gets Better" video.[11][18][19] The group also released a suicide prevention message in 2013.[20] A sister organization USGA Rexburg serves the LGBT Brigham Young University–Idaho student community in Rexburg, Idaho.[21][22][23]
 | |
| Founded | 2010[1] |
|---|---|
| Purpose | "Strengthen families and the BYU community by providing a place for open, respectful discussions on the topic of same-gender attraction and LGBTQ issues."[2] |
| Location | |
Area served | Brigham Young University student body |
| Members | 100+[3] |
| Volunteers | 40+[3][4] |
| Website | usgabyu |
Formerly called | Understanding Same-Gender Attraction |
Publicized activities
The group released an "It Gets Better" video in March 2012 that received press coverage.[24] A student panel of USGA leaders held on BYU campus soon after in April by the sociology department also received press coverage as well as complaints to the university from a conservative political group.[25]
In 2016 the Provo newspaper Daily Herald published a series of six in-depth articles on the experiences of USGA members, centered around the topics of why they attend BYU,[26] the USGA group,[3] mental health,[27] the Honor Code,[28] and why some leave BYU.[26] The articles were written over the space of two months, with an editorial conclusion at the end of the series asking administrators to listen to USGA BYU students.[29]
Other activities reported by media in 2017 include their Faces of USGA photojournalism project[30][31] and their Provo Pride Festival booth.[32]
See also
References
External links
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