For several years, members of USGA have been invited to speak in classrooms at BYU to share their experiences as LGBTQ BYU students. We have spoken to classes in subjects such as Multicultural Education, Women’s Studies, Psychology, Eternal Families, and more.
Many students have not yet met an openly LGBTQ or SSA member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which can lead to misconceptions or intolerance. The purpose of these panels is to allow students to engage with peers who are LGBTQ in hopes of building empathy and understanding.
Two to four current BYU students who are members of the USGA leadership team will come to your classroom and share their experiences as BYU students who also identify as LGBTQ.
One student generally starts out by introducing USGA, and reading the USGA mission statement. Next, each panelist will take two to three minutes to introduce themselves including their unique background and identity. After all panelists have introduced themselves, the remainder of our time allotment will be opened up for your students to ask any questions they may have about the experiences of LGBTQ BYU students.
For classes that run for 50 to 75 minutes, it is strongly preferred to have the panel run for the entirety of the class period; for classes that run longer than 75 minutes, the class period can be divided up and spent partially on your regular instruction, and partially on the panel.
Who can host?
The most common setting for a USGA panel is a BYU classroom, but we have been invited into other settings such as College or Department faculty meetings, Residence Halls Association training sessions, and LDS YSA ward firesides.
How can I arrange for a panel?
What should I share with my class to prepare for the panel?
Although there are no required pre-panel activities, your students may find it helpful to explore some of the following content in preparation for your classroom panel. This link can be sent to your students directly for easy access.
What is your agenda?
For more information about our goals as an organization and about what we stand for, see our mission statement.
See our FAQ page for more.