Who We Are

We are The Chosen Family Project™, a nonprofit organization to celebrate, protect, and give voice to the diverse, loving, and joyful people we in the LGBTQ+ community call “family." The Chosen Family Project™ seeks to redefine the notion of the traditional nuclear family by recognizing that our families are not defined by gender, ethnicity, sexuality, parental status, nor the partners we love, but by the people we’ve chosen to walk with through life’s journey.

Our Chosen Family

The Chosen Family Project™ was born out of months of discussion in 2020 among the initial three founders, Steve Rossetti, Steven Drew Auerbach and Bruce Purdy, all gay men residing in Palm Springs, California. These founders were initially looking to support the gay community through a platform where gay men could “come out” and be their authentic selves. However, they discovered there is very little about what happens after one’s coming out.

Bruce Purdy is an international development economist working in more than 25 post-conflict and emerging market economies to improve service to local citizens. Bruce actively supports and serves organizations that focus on gay health and the gay community. He lives with his husband of 37 years, Barrett Shepard, in both Maryland and Palm Springs.

Bruce Purdy - Founding Partner

Steve Rossetti is a licensed Psychotherapist specializing in addiction, eating disorders, and the LGBTQ+ community. Rossetti worked as a Director of Training and Organizational Development where he consulted on diversity, sexual harassment prevention, and team development and leadership.

Steve Rossetti - Founding Partner

Steven Drew Auerbach is an international business consultant specializing in brand marketing & management. As a published journalist and public speaker, Auerbach serves as an advisor for organizations focused on the health and welfare of the LGBTQ+ community. He is the COO & Director of Development for the HIV+ Aging Research Project.

Steven Drew Auerbach - Founding Partner

Alaina Bixon is a writer, editor, and publisher. She leads writing workshops for Inlandia Institute. She speaks and writes on women in science and cultural history. Her company, Tilton Bass Publishing, helps clients launch their books into the world. She has served on boards and community groups that support education and social justice. She lost too many dear friends whose names are on the AIDS Quilt and has been an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community for decades.

Alaina Bixon - Partner