Executive Director, Affirmations LGBTQ+ Community Center

Antonio David Garcia is the Executive Director of Affirmations, an LGBTQ+ community center that has been located in Ferndale, Michigan, for 30 years. He is putting in his second stint there, after serving five years, in between, as the Director of Policy and Community Building at the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Previously, Dave also served served as the Executive Director of The Kalamazoo Gay and Lesbian Resource Center (now OutFront), and before that, he worked in various leadership capacities at the YMCA.

Dave first began his fight for LGBT equality after being fired from his position as the Community Services Coordinator of Swartz Creek for his attempt to start a Gay Straight Alliance in the public schools in 2000. After walking 55 miles overnight from the doors of Swartz Creek High School to the State Capitol, Garcia delivered one of his many heartfelt and inspiring speeches. Over the past 20 years, Dave has continued his dedicated efforts to improve lives and advance justice for all.

Among his other accomplishments are: being named “Civil Libertarian of the Year” by the ACLU of Flint, being featured in Dan Woog’s book, Jocks II – Coming Out to Play, winning two 2009 Michigan Addy awards for his film work, and being named Student of the Year in Communications and Media at the University of Michigan – Flint. In addition, Dave has completed a full-length documentary, Fences and is a critically acclaimed playwright. His play Candy Corn, Christ and the Convoluted Creation of Golf debuted to sold-out audiences at the Performance Network in Ann Arbor and was named a top ten show of Michigan by the Flint Journal.