As Affirmations Turns 35, Hope and Dynamic Support Remain at the Center
How the steadfast Ferndale resource has evolved alongside the changing needs of the local queer community
On the bustling corner of Nine Mile and Allen Street in the heart of Ferndale, a block from Woodward, sits the cheerful, brightly lit headquarters of Affirmations, a community center and trusted LGBTQ+ resource for more than three decades.
If there’s a secret to the long-term success of this local institution, it surely lies somewhere among resilience, love and empowerment. As this beloved institution marks its 35th anniversary in 2024, its story unfolds as a testament to the strength of a community that has weathered many storms and celebrated progress few would have expected at its inception in 1988.
Early days
Before there even was an Affirmations, there was an informal gathering of relatively inexperienced advocates who just wanted to offer resources to the local LGBTQ+ community at a time when, according to Affirmations’ first executive director, Jan Stevenson, there were virtually none.
The first iteration of Affirmations, the Michigan Organization for Human Rights, spun off from the Triangle Foundation, which would later become Equality Michigan, thanks to a $50,000 grant from the city of Detroit, which funded the project for a year, including a hotline staffed by volunteers who fielded calls from LGBTQ+ people (mostly gay and lesbian folks) from across the state. While the organization’s original founders were ready to close up shop after that first year, volunteers like Stevenson knew how urgently the community needed access to resources — and access to other LGBTQ+ community members.
“It was literally life-changing to be on that hotline,” she tells Pride Source. “It was that core group of volunteers who said, when the decision was made to not apply for the grant renewal, ‘Wait a minute. Have you listened to what we’re hearing on these phones? These are people who have no one else to talk to.’”
Stevenson remembers callers who had never said they were gay to any other person before opening up to hotline volunteers. “We could be the first person they’d ever talked to and they were sometimes completely isolated, just freaked out and terrified,” she recalls. “And all ages. We were getting young people, people in their 60s, people who were getting divorced with families. It was life-changing to hear those stories because I felt lucky, even though I’d lost my job. I had a relationship and gay friends and a social network of sorts. It just made sense to give back. When you hear from teenagers, it was hard to think about just stopping that and saying ‘That was fun, but we’re not going to do that anymore.’ Like, what?”
So, as dedicated advocates often do, Stevenson and volunteers like Brian Wooten, Susan Pittman and Christine Puckett made do with what they had. Soon, the hotline was operating out of Wooten’s basement laundry room. Before long, the hotline operators recognized a need for in-person meetings and moved the headquarters to Pittman’s and Puckett’s home in Detroit, where they stayed for about six months. Next up was an office suite in Ferndale.
While the location was erratic in the early years, the need was great. “There was really nothing in terms of social services or even just socialization outside the bars,” Stevenson explains. “So almost any group we started was a success because there was nothing else. People were so desperate for an opportunity to meet and to connect and to get support. Basically, this core group of people for the first couple of years, we were each the ‘chief cook and bottle washer.’ We did it all, from running the organization and doing administrative stuff to facilitating all the groups, recruiting other volunteers, doing events and anything else we could do to keep it going.”
By 1990, the group had raised enough funds that it became feasible to hire an executive director. A hiring decision was made, but the chosen new leader got cold feet at the last minute. Stevenson stepped in “temporarily.” She’d recently left her job in banking due to discrimination. “You really couldn’t be gay and work in Detroit at that time, especially in the corporate world,” she notes. But outside the corporate world, the same wasn’t necessarily true. The initial plan was for Stevenson to take on the executive director role for six months.
“Well, six months turned into five or six years,” she says, laughing. “The whole time was just putting the pieces together, brick by brick, and person by person. But those first initial people were really the heart and soul of getting it going with blood, sweat and tears and money that they didn’t have.”
“It was a great group and it instilled my joy in people,” Stevenson says. “Because that little group had no reason to be successful. And somehow, we did it, and it was just relying on each other. When one person would get tired and couldn’t do anymore, another person would step up. It was just amazing, the level of energy and commitment that the folks put into it just to make it work against all odds, and it was really an inspiring time. We managed to hold it together.”
In May 1992, the center's founding story took a devastating turn. Pittman and Puckett were murdered by their next door neighbor, who “didn't want a lesbian couple living next to him,” according to news reports at the time. Instead of allowing this horrific act to silence their community, the activists transformed grief into action, recommitting to the organization’s mission and vowing to never forget Pittman and Puckett. Today, Affirmations honors their memories through the Pittman-Puckett Gallery in the main lobby — a testament to resilience in the face of hatred.
After Stevenson stepped down as executive director to focus full-time on Between The Lines, which she and wife Susan Horowitz began publishing in 1995, the center was run by a board of volunteers for a time before Leslie Thompson took on the role for 14 years, becoming Affirmations’ longest serving executive.
Former executive director Antonio Dave Garcia has felt such a strong connection over the years to Affirmations that after he left his post in 2014 for a position in Los Angeles, he wound up returning in 2019 to the same position — at a time when the organization was struggling financially. It surely would have been easier to send good luck from across the country, but for Garcia, Affirmations’ community impact was worth trying to save, even if it meant another cross-country move. “I have seen it save lives, and that’s not hyperbole,” he explains. “I’ve seen it save the lives of our young queer people, our queer seniors, our trans community. It’s too important to the community, and not just in Southeast Michigan, but the whole state and really the region.”
Garcia still remembers his first time visiting the center. In the bathroom, he encountered a transgender person putting on makeup in the mirror; they were changing their clothes. “I just started talking to them and they started crying, saying that coming to the transgender support group was the only time they were able to be themselves,” he recalls. “They had a job that wouldn’t accept it and so they came to Affirmations for the trans support lifeline where they could be who they are. I heard stories like that all the time.”
Affirmations today
These days, Affirmations is bringing the community together in new ways, through collaborations with various local organizations that provide outreach, entertainment and social activities. “I think each executive has tried to make sure that it really is a space for the community, led by the community, and we’re so lucky that we have this beautiful building that is paid off, that we own — that’s an important piece,” Garcia says. “I remember paying off the mortgage during my first time at Affirmations and how important that was that this building belongs to the community. It really is a treasure for the queer community in the state of Michigan.”
Current Executive Director Cheryl Czach's vision for the center goes beyond physical boundaries. “One of the things I talk a lot about with staff is what it means to be a community center,” she explains. “Are we talking about what happens within these walls, or are we talking about our community as a whole? For me, it's the latter.”
Garcia says the community center is where people gather in times of joy, like when the Supreme Court marriage decision came down — or in times of sorrow after tragedies like the Pulse nightclub shooting. “It’s there for the times when we need to be together, for all kinds of reasons,” he says. “Often, Affirmations is the first place people think to gather, and that’s very special.”
This philosophy translates into a comprehensive approach to support. On any given day, the center hosts a diverse array of visitors, from those seeking critical resources like shelter or food assistance to individuals exploring support groups, accessing mental health services or simply finding a welcoming workspace.
One of the center's most significant recent developments has been its mental health services expansion. What began in 2011 with a few social work interns has transformed into a robust program featuring five full-time licensed therapists, including two dedicated to telehealth services throughout Michigan.
Cate Spinney, Affirmations’ director of health and human services, notes that the community's needs are complex. “Common needs that present within the community often stem from ongoing experiences of minority stress,” she notes. These include trauma, depression, anxiety, substance use and gender dysphoria.
Spinney emphasizes that clients range from those seeking short-term counseling to individuals requiring long-term therapeutic relationships. “Oftentimes, complex trauma takes longer to process and heal from,” she notes. "We have community members who have been receiving therapeutic services with us for several years.”
A recent $300,000 federal community project will allow Affirmations to convert a game room into four dedicated therapy suites, increasing community access to specialized care. The center offers both individual and group therapy, with plans to expand group therapy options in 2025.
Partnerships and volunteers: key to Affirmations’ longevity
Partnerships have become a cornerstone of Affirmations' approach. Collaborations with MiGen and the Ringwald Theatre have transformed the center into a dynamic community hub. “We're always looking for ways to support the LGBTQ+ community in Michigan,” Czach says. "Whether that's partnering with other community centers across the state or collaborating with local organizations." MiGen now operates Michigan's first LGBTQ+ elders community center within the Affirmations building, while the Ringwald turns the community room into a black box theater several times a year when it puts on theater productions like “The E(xmas)icist,” a Christmas-themed romp written by the theater’s own Vince Kelley.
The center's impact is perhaps best illustrated through individual stories. Demetrike Wells-O'Brien, a board co-chair, initially participated in Affirmations' youth programming and has now returned to support the next generation. Well-O’Brien first turned to Affirmations as a 16-year-old, a decision that he says helped him connect with invaluable resources, form lasting friendships and, most importantly, to gather the courage to embrace his authentic self.
“At the time, I felt compelled to conceal my true identity at school and within my family due to fears of ridicule and rejection,” he recalls. At Affirmations, where he frequently attended Friday Night Drop-In events, “the weight of societal expectations was momentarily lifted.” In time, he says, he was able to embark on the path that has shaped him into who he is today.
In 2018, responding to feelings of frustration and powerlessness in a tumultuous sociopolitical climate, Wells-O’Brien, who is a State Farm agency owner, returned to Affirmations as a volunteer on projects like the center’s work with Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and joined the board of directors in 2020. He became co-chair in 2024. “I’m honored to work alongside so many talented and passionate individuals who share a common goal of finding ways for the center to continue touching the lives of more people than ever before,” he says.
Karolyn Avila, volunteer program associate, also speaks to the center's inclusive spirit. "I really appreciated that Affirmations truly believes what they mention in their mission statement,” she says. "They are always looking for ways to improve communication and cohesiveness within the community." For example, the Senior Koffee Klatch group, the center's longest-running group, is celebrating its 20th anniversary. This group represents Affirmations' commitment to serving LGBTQ+ individuals across all life stages.
Avila's own journey reflects the center's transformative power. Starting as a front desk volunteer, she became deeply involved in clinics, events like Youth Prom and Pride weekend, eventually joining the staff.
Despite significant progress, the need for organizations like Affirmations remains critical. LGBTQ+ individuals still face systemic challenges, from housing insecurity and employment discrimination to critical health disparities. The center regularly provides outreach to unhoused community members, those battling addiction and members of the LGBTQ+ sex worker community, who frequently face significant, difficult challenges accessing health and safety resources.
Wells-O’Brien feels confident Affirmations will continue adapting to the evolving needs of the local LGBTQ+ community by focusing on specific needs in tangible ways. “We address a wide range of needs, including mental health services, through leadership and workforce development, a food pantry, a resource center, housing clinics, legal aid clinics, assistance with name and gender marker changes and much more,” he notes. “I believe the community understands that the services we provide are needed now more than ever, as their support is vital to our mission and staying power. I’m excited about what the future holds — Executive Director Cheryl Czach is the leader we need to guide this organization into the future and I’m confident that under her leadership, we will continue to meet the needs of more community members than ever before.”
Looking ahead; honoring the past
As Affirmations moves into its next chapter, the center continues to be a place of learning, growth, socialization and, most importantly, safety. “We will always remember our history as we build our future,” the organization's mission statement declares, “and we will never stop.”
“We should all be proud of Affirmations, as an organization and as all of us as individuals,” Garcia says. “There have been tough times, but through it all, Affirmations stands, and that’s a testament for all of us.”
“I think it’s absolutely incredible where the organization is now,” Stevenson notes. “It’s just mindboggling to me that it’s as big as it is and so successful with so much programming, in this beautiful building. I mean, we were literally operating out of Brian Wooten’s laundry room at first. And a lot of the people who helped were in the same boat. Most were deeply closeted and couldn’t be out at work. They were living a dual life.”
“Before us, honestly, there was nothing. I’d like to think that Affirmations played a part in helping to change the atmosphere in Detroit, to expand the opportunities and the rights of LGBT people in Michigan from that humble start,” Stevenson adds. “And we did it by ourselves, for ourselves.”
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