"Thank you for making a difference in these children’s lives.”
Steve Estes and his boyfriend, Tim Geffre, just looked at one another. The two of them were holding spatulas, flipping hamburgers at an event for Encircle Utah, which supports LGBTQ+ youth. A little puzzled, Estes told the therapist and Encircle supporter, “I’m not making a difference. I’m simply serving food.”
The therapist shook his head. “By being here, you are showing these kids that having a healthy LGBTQ relationship at an older age is possible,” he said. “Most of the LGBTQ youth can’t see past next year.”
Suicide is the leading cause of death for children ages 10 to 17 in Utah, which is where Estes lives and where he recently retired after working for 35 years at Dominion Energy Utah in Salt Lake City, most recently as a senior business process systems analyst. Researchers point to many factors for Utah’s high suicide rate, including the pressures of coming out, opioid abuse and cyberbullying.
Serving LGBTQ+ youth—especially those at risk for suicide—is a cause Estes feels very personally on several levels. He lost two family members to suicide—his father in 1981 and his brother in 2018. Estes himself was kicked out of his home when he was 17 after he came out. While the world might be changing to be more inclusive, he said, “It’s not fast enough to save some of these youth.”
Estes says he was one of the lucky ones. After leaving home, he got a job, finished high school, attended college and started a career. Now, as a board member at Encircle, his goal is simple: “To save every kid,” he said. “These kids are trying to solve temporary problems with a permanent solution.”
“Steve is one of those people you can look up to,” said Jorgan Hofeling, communications strategic adviser for Dominion Energy Utah. “He is providing that role model for youth in this organization on how to be successful, not only with your career, but as a person.”
Estes is accomplishing all that by offering a listening ear, hosting events and fundraisers, and doing everything he can to make sure at-risk youth get the therapy, life-skills training and family support they need. He has personally seen the difference it has made in the lives of children.
That support might also include flipping the occasional burger. “Just knowing that a life like yours is possible gives these kids hope,” the therapist told Estes.