Coming Together… Building a Future

Breakfast Awards to 10 Companies for their Support for LGBT Employees

On Thursday, October 11^th, the Jacksonville Area Sexual Minority Youth Network, Inc. (JASMYN) hosted a breakfast in commemoration with National Coming Out Day. The Coming Together…Building a Future Breakfast, sponsored by Wachovia, N.A., brought over 150 people together from more than fifteen companies across Jacksonville's corporate sector.  

National Coming Out Day is an annual commemoration of the gay and lesbian march for rights in Washington, DC, held on October 11, 1987.  The Coming Together…Building a Future Breakfast marked the twentieth anniversary of this march.

Gregory Nevins provided information on the case law around LGBT equality in the workplace, with a focus on cases from the South.  He is the senior staff attorney in the Southern Regional Office of Lambda Legal, the largest and oldest national legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those with HIV. 

An awards presentation recognized ten companies in Jacksonville on the cutting edge of providing non-discrimination policies and diversity initiatives that are inclusive of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender employees.  Wachovia, NA was presented with the Platinum Award for its internal programs and external sponsorships that are inclusive of the LGBT community.  Gold award winners were Aetna, Merrill Lynch, Prudential Financial, BlueCross/BlueShield of Florida, Convergys, Shands Jacksonville, UF Jacksonville Department of Pediatrics, MountainTop Institute and Planned Parenthood of Northeast Florida.  Silver Award winners were the University of North Florida for their LGBT Resource Center, and JCCI Forward for sponsoring the study, “Out in Jacksonville: The Status and Impact of the LGBT Community”.

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The Jacksonville Area Sexual Minority Youth Network, Inc. (JASMYN) was founded on October 11, 1994 as a non-profit corporation serving local youth.  The mission is to build safe space for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and questioning youth that will nurture their health and well-being and enhance pride and self-esteem.  JASMYN operates a youth drop in center that houses youth leadership development and recreation programs, and also serves high risk youth through HIV prevention, case management, and health education services.  JASMYN also provides leadership, training and consultation around diversity issues, with a focus on LGBT diversity and inclusion.