Jerilyn Hassell Pool and QueerMeals

-

In 2015, the Mormon church in Utah enacted a policy that declared children of LGBTQ parents to be “apostates,” or individuals who have turned against their faith and are thus exiled (Lang 2017). This policy exacerbated an already all-too common problem of social isolation and suicide among the LGBTQ community in Utah, but also served as a call to action for Jerilyn Hassell Pool, an Oregon native and member of the LDS church who had relocated to the town of Provo Utah, home of Brigham Young University, which has been ranked among colleges as the fourth least welcoming to LGBTQ students in the nation (Brut 2018).

When she realized that simply leaving the church would not make a positive change for her community, Pool began QueerMeals, an initiative open to LGBTQ youth, especially BYU students, who are often at-risk for suicide and homelessness due to isolation from friends and family. Pool began with a Christmas event at a local Marriott hotel, but has since run the project out of her home, citing the lack of tolerant venues in Provo (Lang 2017).

Utah is a state where suicide is the leading cause of death for teens, and LGBTQ teens are five times more likely to commit suicide than heterosexual youth (Brut). Clearly, ostracization from peers and family, compounded by the physical and psychological stress of attending a deeply socially conservative university is a chief cause of this dynamic. Two of Pool's regulars interviewed in the piece by Brut (available on the media group's Facebook page, linked below) stress the value of Pool's initiative as being both a source of good home-cooked meals when there is nowhere else to go, and as simply having a place for companionship and free self-expression. Programs like QueerMeals show that a little bit of companionship when it is most needed may be life-saving.

Of course, the LDS church does not hold a monopoly on anti-LGBTQ policies, and Jarilyn Pool's QueerMeals project may serve as an inspiration and a model for similar projects anywhere, especially in small towns or historically conservative areas where LGBTQ communities are most at-risk. For more information that may prompt you to take positive action to help end social isolation, hunger and suicide especially among communities of LGBTQ young adults, I encourage you to explore the links below. In addition to Jerilyn Pool's QueerMeals site, where you may donate money of any amount to the project, there is TheTrevor Project, which is dedicated to crisis intervention for LGBTQ youth ages 13-24, there is Provo Pride, which may serve as a model for supporting LGBTQ communities in small towns, and the It GetsBetter Project, which acts as a
platform for inspiring stories intended to offer comfort for anyone who is on the frequently rocky journey of coming out to their friends and loved ones.





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Access to Healthcare for Homeless Individuals with Disabilities

-
Image
Photo by Sarwer e Kainat Welfare from Pexels. Healthcare access is still a major obstacle for the homeless, especially those with disabilities. The complexity of homelessness and the obstacles faced by people with disabilities in Oregon and elsewhere pose a serious threat to public health. This blog post examines the particular difficulties and potential solutions to enhance access to healthcare for this vulnerable population. Unique Healthcare Challenges for Homeless Individuals with Disabilities A study by Oxford Academic published in "Social Work" highlights several key barriers to healthcare access for homeless individuals with disabilities. These barriers include: Absence of Accessible Services Inadequate care results from many healthcare facilities' lack of capacity to address the unique requirements of people with disabilities. Transportation Problems It can be challenging for homeless people to regularly attend medical visits since they frequently lack access to...
Read more

Hostile Architecture: A Harmful Solution

-
Image
  As homelessness starts to rise in many states, many actions have started to take place, one of them being hostile architecture.   Hostile architecture is an architectural design intended to deter certain activities and restrict people from using that public space. Hostile architecture goes unnoticed by most people, as they don't affect them. Some examples of hostile architecture involve: Armrests on benches Curved or slanted benches Rocky pavements Bike racks and planter boxes in a line Window sills with spikes In Portland, Oregon, the hostile architecture are focused towards the homeless and preventing camping. Since 2013, the state agency has spent over $1 million on what is described as "rockscape landscaping" to keep homeless campers off property owned by the Oregon Department of Transportation. In downtown Portland, NW Broadway, dozens of lined up bike racks were installed in. The area isn't an active destination, so the need for that many bike racks i...
Read more

Camp Clearing on the West Coast

-
 On The west Coast homelessness is a serious problem. When considering the homeless crises, Los Angeles is one of the places that comes to mind. Homelessness sweeps beyond “Skid Row” in Los Angeles, in fact it has become widespread throughout California. As of July 25 th, 2024, Gov. Newsom has issued an order to remove all homeless camps in the state of California. Will this be beneficial, will it be improving the lives of homeless individuals, or will it be another pointless tax on Californians? Improving to the lives of homeless individuals; appears to be uncertain as far as we know. Gov. Newsom has decided to invest $24 billion to clean up homeless camps. Gov. Newsom said, “We must act with urgency to address dangerous encampments which subject unsheltered individuals living in them to extreme weather, fires, predatory and criminal activity, and widespread substance use, harming their health, safety and well-being, and which also threaten the safety and viability of nearby busin...
Read more