JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – In 1978, Richard Ceriello was among about 300 people at Willowbranch Park in Riverside for Jacksonville’s first gay pride picnic, coming out in public when they were not welcomed.

“If anything, you just did not want to draw too much attention to yourself back in the mid-70s, certainly not in Duval County,” Ceriello said. “There was an awful lot of hatefulness that was going on to a lot of marginalized groups.”

Ceriello (he/him) said those who came out for that first picnic risked a lot to lay a foundation for those who would follow.

“I don’t think of myself as particularly brave, but those men and women who showed up on that day were really at a great risk of losing their job, their military career, their family, their children, their apartments,” Ceriello said. “They took the step to stand up and represent, and we carry it on today.”

Since that picnic nearly 50 years ago, support groups, resources and the annual River City Pride Parade and Festival have blossomed over the years.

“(At first) it was very subdued. It was nothing more than a picnic,” Ceriello said. “Now to have seen it grow over the years… It really warms my heart.”

Ceriello, a leader in the local LGBTQ+ community, also founded the AIDS Memorial Project of Northeast Florida, known as AMP, which created the AIDS memorial at Willowbranch Park.

The memorial acknowledges the hundreds of people living with AIDS in Duval County who have died over the years, and each year, AMP volunteers illuminate the park to honor those the community has lost.

Dan Hutton (he/him), the president of AMP, said living with AIDS still carries a stigma that the organization tries to combat.

“Jacksonville continues to be very high in new infections, second in the state of Florida, and younger people are afraid to know who to talk to,” Hutton said, “which is why I think our organization is important.”

Haven of hope

Another group in Riverside focused on younger members of the LGBTQ+ community is JASMYN, the Jacksonville Area Sexual Minority Youth Network.

JASMYN has multiple buildings in the Riverside area that serve as a safe space for LGBTQ+ teens. From testing, medical services and counseling services to a game room and place to shower and wash their clothes, JASMYN is a safe haven for those who sometimes have nowhere else to go.

Haiden Baier, a licensed clinical social worker who directs JASMYN’s mental health services and programs, said teens are often excited by the community they find at JASMYN. Baier (he/they) said what the organization really offers them is hope.

“The number of LGBT teens, but specifically trans youth that I’ve met that I’m the first trans adult they’ve ever met. They’re like, ‘Oh my god, I can make it into adulthood.’” Baier said.

JASMYN offers monthly programs for teens ages 13-17, including one-to-one support, peer groups, and social events. But the support doesn’t stop when you turn 18.

The organization also serves young adults aged 18-29 with special programming and support services.

Baier said the average is about 50-100 folks on any given day coming in and out of JASMYN’s Riverside buildings.

“The need is only increasing,” said JASMYN Board Chair Issis Alvarez.

Support through creativity

Local artist Danielle Cleary’s artwork was recently in the news.

After literally drawing excitement by adding rainbow painted crosswalks in the LGBTQ+ friendly 5 Points area, Cleary (she/her) was one of many artists whose work was removed by the state after it was deemed a distraction.

But her creativity honoring the LGBTQ+ community in Riverside lives on.

“It’s a really special area, and it’s home to so many beautiful people that live here in Jacksonville, and I just really want them to know that we love them, and they’re loved, and they’re accepted here,” said Cleary. “That’s really my message is this is an area that we call home and that everybody should feel welcome in. And I just hope that everybody does.”

Cleary, co-founder of Heartspace Art with her spouse, Ian, said she is a parent of a queer teen who actually helped design the rainbow crosswalks before the state wiped them out.

“It’s super important as a parent to support,” Cleary said. “For the youth of this area, the LGBTQIA, we’ve got JASMYN right here, you know, all the resources that are right here in Riverside.”

‘An all-inclusive space’

For adults in the LGBTQ+ community – and their allies -- who are looking to connect, Stonewall Sports offers leagues for varying levels of ability. Members range from as young as 21 to as old as 65.

The name Stonewall is a tribute to the historic LGBTQ+ uprising in New York City in 1969.

“We are an LGBTQ nonprofit sports league that offers inclusive sports for anyone of any kind of physical ability, athleticism. It’s really an all-inclusive place for everyone to come and find where they fit in,” sports director Will Clancy said.

Clancy (he/him) said Stonewall goes beyond connecting athletes for activities. They also help the community with park cleanups and serve as volunteers with AMP and JASMYN’s 5K run.

“I really just want the community to know that we are a safe, inclusive place for LGBTQIA+ people to come find community, find where they fit in, and just really get involved,” Clancy said. “Not just in our sports, but in the community overall as well.”

Resources

To learn more about these and other organizations that serve the LGBTQIA+ community in Jacksonville, visit www.news4jax.com/topic/Celebrating_Pride.