At Encircle Heber’s Pride festivities June 21, guests celebrated with ice cream, games and music.
The organization still has a relatively new presence in the community. The house opened its doors in June 2023, and for the two years since, it’s been a place for LGBTQ+ young people to find friendships, support and simply a safe place to go.
Jess Judd said Encircle has been a haven for them and their brother for years. Before the Heber home opened, the siblings made the long drive to Provo to access Encircle events and services.
“When it opened here in Heber, our family was pretty involved, and now we’re here, like, at least a few times a week,” they said. “We love Encircle.”
They said the house provides them and their brother a reprieve from an environment that can sometimes be cruel to LGBTQ+ young people: slurs at school, Pride flags ripped down and burned.
“This is a safe space for us,” they said. “I was born and raised here, and I feel like it’s really important to me that people see this as a place that’s worth fighting for – because we’re just as important and valid members of the community as everybody else, and we deserve our own space too.”
Program director Elise Villaroman agreed Encircle meets a vital need in the community – and attendance is steadily increasing as more kids hear about the home.
“I’ve been the director for the two years since we’ve been open, and so seeing the slow growth is really awesome,” she said. “We have a small group that comes pretty regularly, and really, for those kids it is lifesaving.”
A 2022 survey by the Trevor Project, a national LGBTQ+ youth suicide prevention nonprofit, reports half of queer and transgender young people in Utah seriously consider suicide.
Villaroman said it’s essential for young LGBTQ+ people to connect with people who understand what they’re experiencing.
Cherry Jones, whose pronouns are he/they, said he’s found those people to trust at Encircle.
“The community itself is very special to me,” he said. “Especially growing up in a very religious household, I didn’t have that, and it gives me that space to really be more open with myself.”
Jones said they volunteer at Encircle, help with game nights and just hang out there in their free time.
“It’s basically like my second home,” they said. “It’s probably one of the few things where I feel most comfortable, especially living in Heber.”
Tonia Webb is a longtime Encircle volunteer who also has a gay son. She said parents should let their children come out however they’re comfortable.
“Just listen to them and love, and then go do your research,” she said. “If you are not familiar with the LGBTQ world and their reality, go learn before you say anything or any kind of judgment on your child.”
Villaroman said for any closeted LGBTQ+ kids in Heber, or for young people questioning their identity, there’s no rush – Encircle is waiting to welcome them whenever they’re ready.
“It can be really hard to come out, especially in a place like Heber, so everything [is] at your own pace,” she said. “Come and see what experience you do have here.”
Pride celebrations are a rarity in Heber, where flags have regularly been torn down and city leaders have walked back any overt show of support for the LGBTQ+ community.
After public backlash to rainbow banners that flew on Heber’s Main Street in June 2019 and 2020, councilmembers effectively banned Pride flags in August 2020.
Two years later, in 2022, young LGBTQ+ people pleaded with the city to declare a “No Sides, Only Love” Day and rehang the banners, saying a message of acceptance would save lives. Instead, the city opted for a “kindness week” they said would include LGBTQ+ people but not be exclusively about Pride.
Unity Week events in the years since have not included anything about the LGBTQ+ community: instead, the city has hosted flower-planting events and provided free dumpsters for community clean-ups.
Across the street from City Hall, Encircle’s doors are open to anyone ages 12-25, whether they identify as LGBTQ+ or not. At the Heber house, young people can join friendship circles, music and game nights, community meals and more. They can also access affirming mental healthcare from trained therapists. Additionally, Encircle has resources for parents, who can come to the home to learn more about how to support their LGBTQ+ children.
Encircle’s Pride event Saturday was not entirely without its detractors: Two people stood at the edge of the lawn to protest, holding a large banner and shouting about sin. Eventgoers ignored them, and after about an hour, they rolled up their banner and quietly walked away.
