Coco Alinsug and Alyvia Norris have been appointed as Fenway Health’s representatives to the Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth. The 50 member Commission advises others in state government on effective policies, programs, and resources for LGBTQ youth.
Alyvia Norris (she/her) is Fenway’s Policy and Advocacy Coordinator, working collaboratively with community members on HIV advocacy, and is involved in advocacy related to overdose prevention and harm reduction, sexual health education and more. Alyvia coordinates the advocacy projects for the Getting to Zero MA Coalition, which includes the Activist Academy Fellowship and Youth Ambassadors program. A native Bostonian and UMass Boston alum, Alyvia has been a passionate advocate of social and racial justice since before college, starting her advocacy work with Steps to Success by serving youth in elementary and middle school through after-school programming opportunities. Since then, she has developed an unwavering devotion to health equity, which has guided her through on-campus advocacy work during her undergraduate career and brought her to her current position at Fenway Health. Her passion for health equity has also influenced her ongoing education on reproductive justice and birthwork, with the intention of becoming a doula.
Coco Alinsug (he/him) is Fenway’s Outreach and Enrollment Manager, working on issues of social justice, HIV/AIDS prevention, LGBTQ youth issues, and culture and the arts. Coco has bee recognized nationally and internationally for his work. He has served as Executive Director of the North Shore Alliance of GLBT Youth (NAGLY) for ten years, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth for 9 years, and is a consultant to various HIV and STD Outreach Programs located in Boston and the rest of New England. Coco travels around the country educating people about LGBTQ+ health and social justice. Coco currently serves as the boards of Lynn Community Television, the Lynn Community Association and the Boston Public Schools Health CAB. Coco is originally from the Philippines, migrated to the United States in 1996, a son and a grandson of public and community workers. He is a polyglot, fluent in 8 languages and an organizer of various events for the Filipino and LGBTQ communities in Massachusetts. Coco and his husband Peter have lived in Lynn, Massachusetts for 17 years.
Please join us in congratulating Coco and Alyvia!