JASMYN chair: Jacksonville leaders help shed light on importance of LGBTQ+ representation

We all want to see ourselves represented in the world. We all want to feel a connection. Whether it’s our race, religious views, height, weight, eye color, taste in music or country of origin, seeing someone “like me” matters to all of us.

This couldn’t be truer for those who feel marginalized by their sexual orientation or gender identity. Seeing other LGBTQ+ people thriving in the world is essential to all on their journey of coming out. That’s why National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11 is such an important time to acknowledge the weight representation carries in a person’s life.

It’s also a time to acknowledge how lucky we are in Northeast Florida to have the Jacksonville Area Sexual Minority Youth Network, more often referred to as JASMYN, as well as many business and community leaders committed to bringing equity to every person in Jacksonville.

National Coming Out Day, an annual LGBTQ+ awareness day, was first observed in 1988 to support anyone coming out of the closet. The underlying message of this day is that the more LGBTQ+ people are seen and heard, the greater social change can occur.

In Jacksonville we have these visible leaders. From the heads of local financial institutions, nonprofits and cultural organizations to those leading our university systems and local government, to Northeast Florida business owners and developers, we are everywhere.

For late gay rights activist and community leader Harvey Milk, representation became the cornerstone of everything he did. Milk made history in 1977 by becoming one of the first openly gay officials in the United States to be elected to public office as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Milk famously asked, “How can people change their minds about us if they don’t know who we are?”

That stepping-into-the-light mentality is what Coming Out Day is all about. Milk’s leadership in this area can clearly be seen today with Pete Buttigieg, who currently serves as this country’s 19th Secretary of Transportation.

Buttigieg is the first openly gay person confirmed to serve in a president’s Cabinet. Before that he was elected to two terms as mayor of South Bend, Ind., and served seven years in the U.S. Navy Reserve with a deployment to Afghanistan in 2014. Coming out didn’t hinder his ability to serve his community or his country.

Nor did it hinder Tim Cook, CEO of Apple since 2011, from leading his company to soaring profits and unprecedented innovation. On coming out, Cook was later quoted as saying he did so in part because, “It became clear to me that there were lots of kids out there that were not being treated well, including in their own families and that kids need someone to say, ‘Oh, they did OK in life and they’re gay so it must not be a life sentence in some kind of way.’”

Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts became an instant role model for young people who see few openly gay people of color in TV news when she came out on her Facebook page. As many have noted, someone like Roberts, who comes into your home every day to deliver the news, is more relatable to young people and what they see her do is seen as more attainable than say a celebrity in the entertainment industry.

The representation these political, business and media leaders provide speaks to the heart of JASMYN’s mission to empower and affirm the lives of LGBTQ+ youth in Northeast Florida. It is JASMYNS’s hope that the youth they serve will continue to leave a legacy of positive representation.

Representation that will most likely continue to be needed as anti-LGBTQ politicians and organizations try to erase the progress that has been made. As Milk once said, “All men are created equal. No matter how hard they try, they can never erase those words. That is what America is about.”

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That’s one of the many reasons I’m proud to serve as JASMYN’s board chair. The positive example they show the community every day in fostering these young lives is not lost on me or our community and business leaders also leading this charge. Many of those individuals have been honored for the positive strides made in Northeast Florida at the annual Coming Out Day Breakfast.

Past honorees have included VyStar Credit Union CEO Brian Wolfburg, as well as local attorney Jimmy Midyette, diversity manager for the Human Rights Commission with the city of Jacksonville.

JASMYN’s 17th annual Coming Out Day Breakfast will be Tuesday, Oct. 24, at the Hyatt Riverfront Jacksonville and will similarly honor those making a difference in the Jacksonville community. Honorees this year include Dr. Tom Serwatka, former UNF professor and administrator.

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The celebration will also feature a keynote address from Eliza Byard, former executive director of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network. Byard will speak about the importance of representation for our young people in this ever-shifting social and political climate.

For many, coming out is still seen as a daunting milestone approached with trepidation and fear of complete rejection. Hopefully with organizations like JASMYN and the continued elevation of LGBTQ+ role models in Northeast Florida, we can make that milestone a little easier to achieve. These young people are the future leaders of Jacksonville, and they deserve our full support in helping them become tomorrow’s role models.

To join us at this year’s Coming Out Day Breakfast celebration, visit jasmyn.org.

Blake Osner, chairman, JASMYN board of directors, is a community volunteer with over 20 years in the Northeast Florida area.

This guest column is the opinion of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of the Times-Union. We welcome a diversity of opinions.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: LGBTQ+ representation still needed in Jacksonville and beyond