When I chose to transfer to the University of Utah after spending my freshman year at Utah State, I felt overwhelmingly confident about my decision. Prior to becoming a student, I received gender-affirming healthcare via the U. Still a minor at the time, I got testosterone prescribed through the associated children’s hospital. three years later, at 18, I got top surgery at the University hospital, with a fantastic team and an even more fantastic surgeon. I felt safe, I felt cared for, I felt loved.

I thought that care would extend to the school itself, and thus, I made the decision to transfer and continue my art degree at the U. It’s heartbreaking to understand now, three years and tens of thousands of tuition dollars later, that that is not the case. The U administration has shown me that they will not fight for me, they will not protect me. I love my transgender peers. They love me. But the school does not love us. I say this, not as a condemnation of the U, but as a cry for help. Trans people are dying, and we need help more than ever. I love this school, I only wish it would love me back.

-U student Lucas Bogdan