OGDEN, Utah - Ogden Outreach is helping promote acceptance and equality at their first ever LGBT summit at Weber State University this weekend.
Marian Edmonds, Executive Director for Ogden Outreach, focuses on the young LGBT population.
"There's just so much interest and people want to learn so much," she said. "They just need so much help."
Edmonds says that younger members of the LGBT community experience emotional struggles as well as financial and family hardships, creating an unbearable stress level for many.
"The suicide problem is terrible and then homelessness as well," she said. "This is a response to the epidemic of suicides."
The two-day conference, called Reach, In Reach Out, is an effort to strengthen individuals and everyone around them. It features more than 30 exhibitors and 40 speakers covering topics from bullying to health risks and homosexuality research.
"Youth don't necessarily know what's in their community," Edmonds said. "You know you're not alone. There are places you can go to get help and to meet other people. It's all around."
