Latest news with #JASMYN
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Annual Strides for Pride 5K raises more than $44K for LGBTQ+ youth services
Nearly 900 people gathered in Jacksonville Sunday morning to participate in this year's Strides for Pride 5k. Walkers and runners of all backgrounds and orientations crossed the start line together, as they have for 14 years. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< The event is put on by JASMYN, a local non-profit focused on providing housing, health services and support to teenagers and young adults within the LGBTQIA+ community. The organization has operated for more than 30 years, beginning in a time when the rights and freedoms of the community were far less. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] 'At the end of the day, we are a community, we're a big family, and this event just signifies that. It doesn't matter what walk of life you come from,' said JASMYN representative Brianna Osgood. 'You come here, it's about love, peace, and family, and that's what we stride for.' Read: PanCan Purple Stride walk raises thousands to fight pancreatic cancer As of Sunday afternoon, the event raised more than $44 thousand for people who use JASMYN's services. Teens and young adults can get rapid HIV testing Monday through Friday at JASMYN, as well as testing for STIs at the organization's Sexual Health Clinic on scheduled days. Mental health counseling is also available to LGBTQIA+ youth in need. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
USA Today
07-02-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Jacksonville's JASMYN gets new CEO amid Trump efforts to 'erase' LGBTQ+ members
JASMYN, which serves the LGBTQIA+ community in the Jacksonville area, has named Francisco Castro as the nonprofit's new CEO. Board chairman Blake Osner said Castro joins the Jacksonville Area Sexual Minority Youth Network during a "pivotal time" for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people, as the Trump administration works to "erase them" and their hard-won rights. They "face more challenges today than ever, many from some of our own political leaders," Osner said. "Efforts to make our communities more equitable for everyone are being deleted everywhere from major corporations to institutions of higher learning. … Francisco is the right person to keep JASMYN shining as a beacon of hope for our LGBTQIA+ youth." Castro has about 30 years of experience in finance and nonprofit leadership, most recently as development director for Boston's Fenway Health and AIDS Action Committee. Previously he was finance and development manager for Greater Boston PFLAG and executive director of the Miami/Fort Lauderdale Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. He has also been a vice president at Regions Bank and Citibank. He brings relatable life experience. "Along with being an out and proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community, I am also a person of color who is open about my HIV-positive status," he said. "I understand JASMYN's mission and the struggles our LGBTQIA+ youth face first-hand … I see myself in the young people we serve and I hope to show by example that being LGBTQIA+ will not keep them from fulfilling their dreams." In a separate statement, he called Trump's "dangerous executive orders … an assault on basic human rights and our humanity." LGBTQ+ youth "are feeling invalidated and devastated by the dismantling of safe and affirming spaces," he said, but at JASMYN the orders "strengthen our resolve." Castro succeeded founding CEO Cindy Watson, who retired in December 2023. bcravey@ (90) 359-4109
