1980s – Boston Gay Men's Chos

Contents:

• TW CI GAY MEN’S CHOS SEASON 42!
• TAG: DALLAS GAY MEN’S CHOS
• WHAT HAPPENED WHEN A GAY CHOIR TOURED AMERI'S BIBLE BELT
• GAY MEN'S CHOS: SGG ON A SHOTRG
• PALM SPRGS GAY MEN’S CHOS HOSTS SCHOOL SUPPLI DRIVE
• THROUGH THE YEARS: DALLAS' GAY CULTURE

TW CI GAY MEN’S CHOS SEASON 42!

Relign was never a huge part of fay life for , but as I wrtled wh my sexual preference through high school, I sought solace our Catholic fah and buried myself mic as a way to seek answers to the big qutns of who I am and what would I I graduated high school May 1975 and started llege that fall, and while still livg at home, I had pretty much accepted myself as gay and was begng to explore gay social life Dallas.

TAG: DALLAS GAY MEN’S CHOS

The bars, pecially the Old Plantatn, which stood on the Wt si of Harwood Street where the Dallas Mm of Art is now, proved the saft place to be wh other gay men.

WHAT HAPPENED WHEN A GAY CHOIR TOURED AMERI'S BIBLE BELT

” I swear to you, nothg uld have prepared me for his next ment, which was, “I don’t re if you’re gay, jt promise me you won’t be nelly! Those of of a certa age remember the big anthems of the day and how good felt to beg to be ee as gay people, enjoyg life more the open and feelg ls fearful of beg “found out” year 1980 was an tertg and pivotal year many ways.

GAY MEN'S CHOS: SGG ON A SHOTRG

Bach's "To Thee We Turn" though the Stonewall rts were 10 years old, ‘gay rights’ was not a top-of-md issue, and the term AIDS did not exist. In some ci, the newly-formed chos boldly chose to e the word 'gay' their name, but the buckle of the Bible Belt, the founrs of jt such a chos Dallas cid agast for what seemed obv reasons.

For one: the supertennt of the DISD proclaimed “There are no homosexuals the DISD; and if there were, I would fd them and fire them. ” Many of our sgers were DISD fact was we were a gay chos; we knew was not the “Dallas way” to prent ourselv as "out, proud and gay" if we wanted our fledglg chos to survive the social and polil climate of Dallas 1980. Co-founr and general manager, Don Essler, was acutely aware of the polics of the time, and navigated through the social challeng of those first years que succsfully, all the while stgglg wh the ternal unrt of whether we should clu “gay” our name and e out the muny as wng argument eventually was, who r whether we say we’re gay or not, everyone knows we are.

We did a variety of benef performanc that first year, one of which was for the Dallas Gay Alliance at the historic Dallas landmark Try Methodist Church which was later stroyed by the end of our first season, the TCC had grown to 83 members. Michael moved his wife Joan, y, that’s Joan Crawford (and you know that name was not wasted on a room full of gay men!

PALM SPRGS GAY MEN’S CHOS HOSTS SCHOOL SUPPLI DRIVE

To their great surprise, 99 men appeared and a chos was MissnTo create mil experienc that strengthen our role as a lear among lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr (LGBT) and performg arts anizatns, and expose new muni to our msage of Communy For over 40 years, the Chos has built an ternatnal reputatn for mil excellence while remag eply rooted service to the Los Angel muny. The Gay Men's Chos of Washgton, DC sgs to spire equaly and cln wh mil performanc and tn promotg jtice and digny for all. Found 1978, the 300-strong group, wily regard as lnchg the gay choral movement, had s first public performance at cy hall after the assassatns of Mayor Gee Mosne and supervisor Harvey Milk.

THROUGH THE YEARS: DALLAS' GAY CULTURE

Sgg for Our Liv was the song they performed after the ath of Ameri’s first openly gay public official, and s lyrics seemed alarmgly pertent once aga, so the chos teamed up wh the Oakland Interfah Gospel Choir on a 2017 Lavenr Pen tour through the regn that had embraced Tmpism most Charl Rodrigu’s documentary Gay Chos Deep South follows the two groups through stat such as Mississippi, Tennsee and North Carola. A remptive tale that bridg cultural divis the wake of the 2016 electn, the film follows several narrative arcs to tablish that misunrstandgs existed on both s cred, Gay Chos Deep South don’t recycle tired trop om Gee W Bh-era cultural liberalism. This is a project search of rapprochement, om wng over homophobic hearts one by one to marchg over the Edmund Pett Bridge Selma, Alabama, a gture of tersectnal solidary.

” Gay Chos Deep South quietly sists that social progrs requir dividual actn as well as stctural change, and the film is no small part Seelig’s attempt at both. Durg one performance, a chos member’s stnchly antigay father n’t help but se at a drag queen sgg Patsy Cle’s She’s Got You and pullg var relatnship memento out of her cleavage – then a flask, then a handsaw. ”Gay Chos Deep South is full of It Gets Better-que enuragement, pecially as many of the venu were chosen bee they are stat wh brazenly anti-LGBTQ laws, Mississippi and North Carola particular.