It was the summer of 2017 when a small community in Utah watched in horror as 11 people took their own lives in 11 days.
One after the other, the state had been struck with a wave of LGBTQ suicides, shaking the queer and transgender community to its core.
“These are the kids who feel like God doesn’t love them, their parents won’t understand, their community won’t understand who they are,” local Utah resident Stephanie Larsen explains.
This sense of isolation has only fueled youth suicides in the state.
“Suicide is now the leading cause of death for young people in Utah, and the suicide rate has tripled since 2007.”
Seeing that LGBTQ youth in her own city desperately needed a safe place to go, Larsen founded Encircle, a resource center in Provo, Utah.
