Julio Roman started his journey with LGBTQ-plus organizations as a client.
“I was looking for a safe space,” Roman said. “I was dealing with my feelings around being attracted to other guys, and this was a safe space to really be yourself. I was able to find a community of young men who looked like me, actively doing the work, and passionate about their work.”
To see other gay men taking control of their lives and serving the community drew Roman in, he said, adding that at 16 he landed his first role as an outreach worker to talk about HIV prevention—launching him into a career focused on LGBTQ-plus public health and addressing the community’s disparities, particularly surrounding HIV.
“The disproportionate infection rates in our community has always been a driving force to do the work. The HIV rates in white communities is 1 in 15, and the Latino community is 1 in 2, and it’s the same in African American communities,” Roman said.
Seeing a community that often isn’t seen and faces difficulties accessing adequate health care services motivated Roman to “amplify their voices and their visibility,” he said.
Roman helped create two LGBTQ-plus centers in Newark, New Jersey, and presented and published his public health findings on local, state, and national levels. He has successfully raised and managed millions of dollars for LGBTQ-plus causes, issues, and organizations. And on Aug. 15, Roman starts a new role on the West Coast as Pacific Pride Foundation’s executive director.
“I’ve always been drawn to organizations that have a strong history … around the HIV/AIDS crisis with a harm reduction principle as a guiding force,” Roman said. “I have a passion for building programs and working with organizations that focus on changing lives for their constituents.”
Pacific Pride Foundation (PPF) has run Santa Barbara County’s only syringe exchange program since 2002 where people can bring in used needles in exchange for new ones to prevent the spread of diseases, including HIV.
“Working with a team that’s excited to work and looking for ways to expand their effectiveness truly gets me excited,” Roman said. “Some of my goals with coming to Pacific Pride Foundation is one: I want to take the opportunity to enhance and expand our staff’s current ability to deliver life-changing services.”
He’d like to add training and workshops led by talented individuals from around the country currently working in LGBTQ-plus advocacy and supporting their communities, he said.
Roman said that he’d like to build on PPF’s current foundation of harm reduction protocols in place, enhance how the organization is conducting HIV testing, and increase awareness of PPF’s services and others conducting similar work. He added that he wants to put an emphasis on expanding PPF’s counseling services offered in Santa Barbara County along with therapy groups.
“We know after COVID, our members are feeling disconnected and not having that center of community. How can we create a safe space [with] those mental health services readily available to the members of our community?” Roman said. “I have a passion for building programs and working with organizations that focus on changing lives for their constituents.”
Board Chair Cristian Arango said that Roman’s understanding of LGBTQ-plus safe spaces will help PPF establish new partnerships to help take a countywide approach. Prior to Roman’s arrival, Arango said that PPF has been working on developing its relationship with Santa Maria’s House of Pride and Equality.
“I think that’s going to be crucial for us to roll out the agenda of inclusivity and connecting with rural spaces,” Arango said. “It’s going to be a game-changer across the board, and Julio’s approach aligns with the board’s approach to take a countywide approach, not just city-based.”
Highlight
• Youthwell will hold a Hybrid Parent Wellness Workshop on Sept. 2 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. designed for parents and caregivers with tweens and teens. The free workshop will be accessible both in person in Santa Barbara and virtually via Zoom. The workshop’s focus will be on providing parents with tools and strategies to help support their children going through various transitions—whether it’s entering a new school or moving to a new community. Transitions can be challenging for the entire family, and this workshop aims to equip parents with the knowledge and confidence to help their children adjust smoothly and successfully to new environments. Register and learn more at youthwell.org/workshops.
Reach Staff Writer Taylor O’Connor at [email protected].
