Tricia Russell wore a patterned skirt with her hair pulled back as she sat on stage Tuesday night in downtown Jacksonville. She fit in with all the other women in the room but she was sure to tell everyone she wasn’t always so comfortable with being open about her identity.
Russell was part of a panel discussing on where Jacksonville stands on national issues concerning the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, and organizers emphasized that more stories like hers need to be shared.