Utah Groups Hope to Bridge Religious and LGBTQ+ Communities
HEBER CITY (KSL) -- Local groups in Utah are working to help people in the LGBTQ community feel more welcome and more understood.Kyle Ashworth was raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, served a mission, married in the temple, and had some kids."And after all those things, I still was gay," Ashworth said.Now, he's married again and hosts the podcast Latter Gay Stories, where he's hoping by sharing people's stories, others might get a better understanding."A lot of the religious population have no need to draw closer to the queer community," Ashworth explained. "It's usually only when someone's son or daughter or child comes out that a family actually pays attention to these topics."He's not the only one in Utah with this kind of personal mission, like Susie Augenstein."I'm constantly begging and pleading for people, especially those that don't have LGBTQ kids in their lives, to join us and to help support those that do because they need us," Augenstein said.She's an ally to queer kids and adults through a group called Peculiar."Whether it's a shooting like happened or a suicide, we just need to stop the deaths and have them feel like they're a part of us," explained Augenstein.And it's tragedies like the one in Colorado that have people on the side of allyship and support.
