In the 1990s, Jacksonville, like many other southern cities, was not a welcoming community for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer+ people. Though the city’s gay community had openly celebrated gay pride since 1984, there were almost no support organizations and certainly no legal protections for LGBTQ+ residents. Those who were LGBTQ+, or had family members who were LGBTQ+, found it difficult to access reliable information and equally difficult to find others with whom they might have common interests.

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From their first meetings in the early 1990's, PFLAG Jacksonville was no stranger to adversity. After urging from her son, Scott Saraga, the founder of the Jacksonville chapter, Frieda Saraga started meeting to support the local community. From the beginning, her family received death threats and hate calls. “People were afraid,” Saraga said. “We had to reassure them that if they came to the meeting they would be ok.” To create a safe space and neutral, meetings were held in offices, after-hours.

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For Saraga, starting a Jacksonville chapter of PFLAG seemed like a good thing to do, though she was more focused on helping people than starting an organization. She didn't even realize she had to contact the National organization to become an official chapter. In late 1992, Saraga reached out to National and became an office chapter and received our tax-exemption from the IRS in 1994.

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Over the years we have helped countless LGBTQ+ individuals, their friends, families, and loved ones. We have grown from our humble beginnings of offerings monthly support meetings to now also providing education, and advocacy. As we grow to  meet the needs of the community we gathered a vast list of resources, and started educational tools by the creation of the Scholarship Program and Sex and Gender Education (SAGE) Program. And lastly, but not in the least, representing LGBTQ+ individuals to protect their rights.