227:. Affirmations was incorporated by Jeff Vitale and Laura Horowitz. The original by-laws were written by Jeff Vitale and Gary Roberts. Vitale and Roberts met when Roberts answered an ad Vitale placed in Metro Times for GLMPSE (Gays and Lesbians Mobilizing Politically, Socially and Economically) a short-lived organization also founded by Vitale. Vitale served as the founding president of Affirmations. He and Roberts assembled the first board of directors. Roberts served on the first board as vice president not president as reported by Between the Lines. Jan Stevenson became the second president when Vitale took a Market Research position in Chicago where he shortly thereafter founded Overlooked Opinions, the first market research and polling firm specializing in the lesbian and gay community in the United States. Jan Stevenson coined Affirmation's first motto "Gay is Good."
234:(MOHR), and was funded through community donations as well as a small grant that was obtained by one of MOHR's volunteers for a community hotline prior to Affirmation's formation. When MOHR questioned the need for a center such as Affirmations, the organization was moved to its second home a Detroit building owned by inaugural board members Sue Pittmann and Christine Puckett. Around 1990, the center moved to the Pioneer Building on West 9 Mile Road in Ferndale. During the organization's first two years, a group of volunteers operated a coming out group and a support and referral hotline for LGBT people.
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Antonio David Garcia became executive director in August 2011, and he expanded recreation and advocacy efforts. The center coordinated a cross-state bike trip to raise awareness of LGBT issues and organized a statewide network of LGBT community centers. Garcia resigned in
October 2013 and departed in
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In March 2015, Darrious Hilmon became executive director. He resigned in
October 2015 and was replaced in December 2015 by Susan Erspamer, who served until March 2018. Affirmations entered a period of restructuring after the departure of Susan Erspamer, leading to a new era for Affirmations. After
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Leslie
Thompson became executive director in 2000, expanded programming to include health services and civic engagement, and oversaw the construction and opening of a new building to house the center. Thompson resigned in August 2010, following two years of financial difficulties for the center.
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The center operates out of a 17,000 square feet (1,600 m) facility on West 9 Mile Road in
Ferndale. The facility was designed to be environmentally friendly and includes a cyber center, a two-story art gallery, an outdoor rooftop sky deck, and a library.
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The center hired its first executive director, Jan
Stevenson, an inaugural board member and later board president, in 1991 and expanded its programming to include hosting local LGBT groups and a program for local LGBT youth, funded by a
242: (equivalent to $ 325,682 in 2023) gift from the estate of Carl Rippberger following his death. The center opened an art gallery in 1992 named after Pittmann and Puckett, who were murdered in May 1992 in an apparent
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efforts, and a youth program, known as the Carl
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being at the LA LGBT Center from his departure until 2019, Antonio David Garcia returned to the helm as executive director in May 2019.
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In 2001, the center conducted a feasibility study on the possibility of constructing a new building to serve as its home. A
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population in its surrounding communities. The center's services include counseling, support groups,
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Affirmations was founded in 1989 as
Affirmations Lesbian and Gay Community Center to serve
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452:"30 Days Of Holiday LGBT Giving: Affirmations LGBT Community Center In Detroit"
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February 2014. At the end of 2013, the organization received an anonymous
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Affirmations offers services and multi-use facility space to the
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by a neighbor. Stevenson resigned in 1995 to become publisher of
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Originally, Affirmations was housed in a building owned by the
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287:. On June 3, 2007, the center moved into its new facility on
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252:. She was succeeded by Julie Enzer and Cindy Woodbury.
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Michigan Womyn's Music
Festival and transgender people
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List of LGBT community centers in the United States
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416:"Vision, Mission, Bylaws and History"
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263:was launched in 2004 with a goal of
907:Alliance of Queer and Ally Students
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1014:Organizations established in 1989
605:Ballor, Joe (February 11, 2015).
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994:1989 establishments in Michigan
871:Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act
832:Michigan Womyn's Music Festival
506:. No. 2212. April 20, 2014
699:. Affirmations. Archived from
422:. Affirmations. Archived from
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886:Same-sex marriage in Michigan
728:. CenterLink. Archived from
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211:, and nearby communities.
767:Affirmations on GuideStar
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640:Affirmations LGBT Center
379:LGBT history in Michigan
842:Who Wants Cake? Theatre
876:Michigan Proposal 04-2
117:42.46079°N 83.13801°W
525:"Affirming Ferndale"
271:, with support from
138:Darrious D. Hilmon (
584:. February 11, 2015
556:. November 19, 2013
529:Detroit Metro Times
458:. December 24, 2012
456:The Huffington Post
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956:Lesbian Connection
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140:executive director
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28:Affirmations' logo
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822:Hotter than July!
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554:Between The Lines
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697:xtlyouth.org
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357:LGBTQ portal
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17:Affirmations
636:"Our Staff"
301:US$ 800,000
240:US$ 150,000
201:transgender
120: /
96:Coordinates
75:communities
988:Categories
817:Camp Trans
736:2015-07-01
707:2015-06-30
678:2015-06-30
664:"About Us"
645:October 2,
621:2015-07-01
588:2015-07-01
560:2015-07-01
535:2015-07-01
510:2015-07-01
462:2015-07-01
430:2015-06-30
390:References
328:CenterLink
311:Activities
244:hate crime
223:people in
134:Key people
108:83°08′17″W
105:42°27′39″N
64:38-2882823
59:Tax ID no.
182:nonprofit
343:See also
334:Facility
281:Chrysler
197:bisexual
179:Michigan
80:Location
966:By city
852:History
810:Culture
297:bequest
215:History
189:lesbian
147:Website
39: (
34:Founded
856:rights
854:&
283:, and
941:Media
317:LGBTQ
221:LGBTQ
205:LGBTQ
177:is a
73:LGBTQ
69:Focus
52:501c3
647:2019
199:and
156:.org
49:Type
41:1989
37:1989
299:of
193:gay
152:www
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
