And it'll be funded by 'Candy Corn'
FLINT – It was a cold December day in 2000 when Antonia David Garcia angrily walked 60 miles from Swartz Creek to Lansing, but the fruit borne of that life-changing experience will soon benefit LGBT youth from across the state.
Garcia, now 30, was in the midst of a firestorm that erupted in Swartz Creek when he publicly outted himself in the Flint Journal after local teenagers asked him for help in starting a support group for students bullied at school because of their perceived sexual orientations.
"I couldn't tell kids to be out and proud, and that there was nothing to be afraid of, if I wasn't following my own advice," Garcia recently told BTL. "That would be hypocritical."
The story was published on a Sunday, and when Garcia – who was employed as the town's community services coordinator – arrived at work the following day, "Things went crazy," he said. "Everything changed."
Garcia eventually resigned under protest, retained a local attorney and sued.
Frustrated and stressed, the athletic young man decided to grab his backpack and embark on a personal journey to the state capital where he arranged to meet his state representative. There, they were to discuss the treatment of LGBT youth in the schools. Several politicians who were not afraid of addressing gay issues greeted him at the capitol – but not the one with whom he was scheduled to meet.
"I was pretty pissed when I got there, and I gave a fiery speech," Garcia said.
But more importantly, he had also made an important decision.
Rowan Education Network
It was one thing to walk 60 miles overnight to the capitol, but then what? Garcia asked himself. "What could I do tomorrow and the next day? What could I bring to the table?"
And then it hit him.
"It seemed pretty obvious to me – what would I have liked as a teenager? And that was sports, theater and camping."
So once his anger subsided, Garcia vowed to start a camp where LGBTQ kids would be safe, and where like-minded youths would gather to discuss how to make things better at school.
"And have fun," Garcia laughed.
The seeds for the camp were sown in 2001 when Rowan Education Network was founded by Garcia and a board of directors as a non-profit Michigan corporation. To date, the group has provided speakers and educational programs related to LGBT issues free of charge to schools and other interested organizations primarily throughout Genesee and Washtenaw Counties.
All the while, efforts to develop the camp have been underway.
One of Garcia's goals for the camp is to break down stereotypes: Both LGBTQ and straight teens will be invited to attend the camp.
"I do believe that there are gay boys and gay girls who appreciate both [theater and sports]," he said. "The world of sports is not closed off to gay boys – and I'm the perfect example of that – and the world of theater is not closed off to straight boys."
Community service will be the third – and equally important – aspect of the camp.
"I've always been very big into community service – ironically, with the Boy Scouts, the church and with my family."
Plans for the camp gained momentum when Rowan Education Network teamed with Eastern Michigan University's Project YES (Youth for Equality and Safety) and Camp Crystalaire near Traverse City to further develop the concept.
"It's a beautiful location," Garcia said.
A trial weekend has been scheduled for later this summer to refine the concept – as well as to film promotional videos for use in promoting the camp to potential donors and attendees.
Then in the summer of 2005, 50 young people will be the first to spend a two-week adventure at Camp Beyond Boundaries YES! The ultimate goal, according to Garcia, is to run the camp all summer long beginning in 2006.
Funded by 'Candy Corn'
At the time of Garcia's troubles with the Swartz Creek School District, the young activist-to-be was unaware of any LGBT organization serving the needs of Genesee County.
"I had no idea what a GSA was, what the Triangle Foundation was or P-FLAG," he recalled.
So Garcia used his settlement money as a catalyst for social change in a county that was seemingly hostile to LGBT issues.
Groups such as P-FLAG and the Rainbow Circle Youth Alliance benefited from Garcia's generosity. Much of the settlement was used to create Rowan Education Network and to fund its early projects.
However, it was an idea that had been percolating in Garcia's mind for several years – and his struggle with religion – that ultimately became the group's primary source of income.
"Candy Corn, Christ and the Convoluted Creation of Golf" is an original comedy written by Garcia about the life and times of Jesus Christ. It is a fresh and respectful look at the life and times of Jesus and his eccentric best friends, the Apostles.
The show premiered last summer at Ann Arbor's Performance Network Theatre, staged by noted direct James Posante. Garcia, who attended Northern Michigan University on a theater scholarship, played the role of Simon Peter.
The show was a critical and financial success.
This year, Garcia is moving the show to Flint's Buckham Alley Theatre for a three-week run. Those who saw last year's production, however, will be in for what Garcia hopes is a pleasant surprise.
"It's a significantly shorter, leaner and quicker show," the playwright – and now director – said. "We cut over a half-hour out of it, well over 20 pages of text."
And it has a new ending.
For Garcia, bringing his show to Flint is somewhat of a homecoming.
"It's where I was an altar boy my whole life and where I went to catechism. And it's important to show the Swartz Creek School District and the local newspapers that covered all the craziness that I haven't gone away. And that we're still focused on the LGBT youth of Genesee County and Washtenaw County where I now live."
