The number of families and friends who advocate for their lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender loved ones has grown in Utah. So much so that PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) will hold its first statewide conference on April 21 in Salt Lake City.

Salt Lake City sprouted Utah's first PFLAG chapter in 1993. The group advocates respect for the LGBT community and offers support to families learning for the first time that a family member is gay or transgender.

In the past five years, new PFLAG chapters have formed in St. George, Ogden, Logan and Utah County, said Kathy Godwin, PFLAG's Mountain West director.

"We have a nice wave going on. We have started to establish a presence from one end of the state to the other," Godwin said. "My goal is to reach people in the communities they're in and give them the support that they need."

Topics to be discussed at the daylong conference at Westminster College include family love and healing, fundraising, the transgender experience, creating safe schools for LGBT youths and how to sustain a PFLAG chapter. Two leaders with the national PFLAG organization, Cesar Hernandez and Jean Hodges, will speak. The public is welcome, Godwin said.

Rosemary Winters —

PFLAG Utah Conference

What • Utah's first statewide conference for Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). The group also includes supporters of transgender friends and relatives.

When • Saturday, April 21, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Where • Westminster College Gore Business School, 1840 S. 1300 East, Salt Lake City.

Cost • $20 per person or $25 per couple in advance; $25 per person, $30 per couple, day of conference; scholarships available.

Register • Call 801-688-2281 or e-mail slcpflag@gmail.com.