The Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault (UCASA) is creating a new statewide LGBTQIA+ Coordinating Council to ensure that LGBTQIA+ survivors of and victims of sexual violence, as well as the broader LGBTQIA+ community, are represented in victim services organizations, institutions, and partnerships that serve sexual violence survivors statewide. We are currently looking for folks who work with survivors of sexual violence, community members, and LGBTQIA+ survivors to join and work to increase access for LGBTQIA+ survivors throughout the state of Utah.

This includes but is not limited to:

1. Ensuring adequate representation of LGBTQIA+ folks in all Sexual Assault Response Teams (SARTs) statewide.
   
   
2. Ensuring that LGBTQIA+-affirming training is provided statewide to sexual violence programs, law enforcement, and any other institution that interacts with sexual violence survivors.
   
   
3. Ensuring that print, online, and others forms of information are available online to improve services for LGBTQIA+ survivors of sexual violence.
   
   
4. Producing LGBTQIA+-affirming materials for distribution statewide with a focus on rural, underserved, and culturally-specific programs and communities.
   
   
5. Assisting organizations serving LGBTQIA+ survivors to understand the unique cultural, historical, and institutional barriers faced by LGBTQIA+ survivors in accessing services.
   
   

As the Council expands UCASA expects that members of the Council and the community will identify additional goals and objectives that cannot currently be anticipated by our organization.

We are currently recruiting council members and will hold our first meeting in January 2024. Meetings will be held quarterly and council members will have additional tasks to complete between meetings. These tasks can include, presentation creation or review, outreach to listservs, information and referral sharing, facilitation of training and education, and resource creation among other things. This group aims to create a team that strives to increase access for LGBTQIA+ survivors throughout the state of Utah. We cannot do it alone, but we can do it together. 

If you are interested in applying for the council, please fill out this form. For any questions or comments, please contact Andi Tremonte at [email protected]