Affirmations CEO Looks to the Future

A new strategic plan, a new chief executive officer and possibly a new school: Affirmations, under the direction of new CEO Antonio David Garcia, is looking to bring people back to the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) community center with one question: What would you like to see at Affirmations?

October marked the beginning of Affirmation’s strategic plan

The strategic plan is a six-month process that will ask the neighborhood what programs and services they want to see available at Affirmations. A
community-wide questionnaire will be sent out in LGBT newspaper Between the Lines that will give the community a chance to propose and weigh in on services the community center would like to pitch, such as, a charter school.

“I am not saying we are going to do it (charter school), I am saying let’s talk about it,” said Garcia, who added that the community center does a lot of important work but he wants to see them do fun activities, too. Affirmations recently hired Johnny Jenkins as Director of Programs to gain a fresh perspective on the current programs at the center, as well as a new sushi restaurant, Grab & Go Sushi Co.

"We like having (Grab & God Sushi Co.) there and we want to see them succeed. I want to see (Affirmations) bustling with activity," said Garcia. “Is tap dance and Zumba as important as counseling and charter school? Probably not, doesn’t matter, we should be doing it all. We should be looking at whether it makes sense (to do).”

A new CEO

"I am excited for the future of the organization," said Kim Phillips-Knope, program development at Affirmations. "I think Dave (Garcia) is a wonderful asset to the center."

Affirmations has been without a CEO for nearly a year since the resignation of its 11-year CEO Leslie Thompson in August 2010. To help through this transition, the board . In addition to locating a permanent CEO, Affirmations has had financial problems, weathering a $1.2 million budget shortfall that has since been addressed according to Garcia, who now wants to focus on the quality and quantity of staff and programs. 

"We only have $230,000 left on the mortgage, it is time to do something with this $5 million building," said Garcia, who officially started as CEO on Aug. 15. “As the flagship LGBT center in our state, the more successful Affirmations is, the stronger we (LGBT organizations) can be. I think we have been lax in fighting to get state funding.”

Garcia, a native of Gains, MI, comes from the Kalamazoo Gay and Lesbian Resource Center where he served as executive director. While there, Garcia
said, the center grew in size and number tremendously.

“We’ve had tremendous growth (in Kalamazoo)," he said. "Doubled our size and staff, tripled our budget and quadrupled are youth group (participation).”

Garcia’s work in the LGBT community began after he was fired in 2000 from his position as community service coordinator of Swartz Creek Community schools for attempting to start a Gay/Straight Alliance. Since then his focus has been the lack of LGBT rights.

“As I look around the state, I see a need for LGBT organizations to work together,” said Garcia. He explained it is not only LGBT organizations that need to work together to fight for equality now, but LGBT allies, also. “I’d like to start a straight allies’ campaign so they can be a little more vocal," he said.

“We need straight America to step up and be vocal. We know they are there but let’s have the politicians see them,” Garcia added.

Garcia said that his work in Ferndale won't just be with LGBT organizations and the LGBT community, but he hopes to develop relationships with religious institutions and groups as well.

“One of my pet peeves has been the notion that religion equals anti-gay,” said Garcia. “And it frustrates me that people have this idea.”

Garcia said he wants to reintroduce religion into the LGBT community as a structure of support, not a stigma of discrimination.

Garcia also expects to put a focus on anti-bullying work.

"We have a responsibility," he said. "Bullying is a serious issue and we are going to have to work together to solve it. And I think I am the right person to do it."

Oh... and also...

Garcia channels his LGBT advocacy to other mediums, too. Fences, a documentary film Garcia produced, focuses on his journey to Portland, OR, in an attempt to speak with director Gus Van Zant about his film My Own Private Idaho and how it affected Garcia. Along the way, Garcia ends up interacting with purveyors of anti-LGBT rhetoric.

Candy Corn, Christ and the Convoluted Creation of Gulf, a play Garcia also produced, takes an unconventional and humorous look at Christ and various stories in the bible.

Additionally, Garcia received two 2009 Michigan Addy Awards for his work in his film Fences.