The organization operated with community-affirming norms, including a welcoming environment. The meetings were both well-organized and relaxed. The level of commitment and creativity invested by its members distinguished Second Sunday as a unique nurturing space for Black gay and bisexual men.  

Second Sunday members not only had to deal with homophobia in Black communities, but racism in white LGBTQ+ communities. For example, like many other cities, Atlanta had a history of gay bars openly discriminating against Black patrons. This, along with job discrimination, homelessness, internalized homophobia, and violence, created a landscape in which Black gay and bisexual men struggled to survive. Second Sunday was a safe space for them to  be affirmed.   

As the organization grew, HIV deeply affected the Black gay community, making Second Sunday an even more critical institution. Though never becoming an AIDS organization,  Second Sunday played an essential role by offering a space for Black gay and bisexual men to grapple with what was happening around them.  

In 1998, John Peterson, a participant of Second Sunday and an associate professor at Georgia State University, reflected on the group’s primary purpose of community building. Peterson wrote, “no matter how pressing the epidemic has become, Second Sunday can never become an AIDS organization. To address AIDS in the African American community, you cannot simply address HIV prevention or risk. In the cultural context of this population, you have to address the issues that involve sexuality and identity for this population as much as you address HIV prevention or risk.”

The organization recognized the epidemic as a priority issue for Black gay and bisexual men in Atlanta. Second Sunday organized HIV prevention research, community education, and social support activities.