Shortly after the election of President Trump, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus was looking to do something in response, something that could build bridges and foster understanding. So when the idea came up for the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus to tour America’s South, Tim Seelig knew it was a good idea. But he also knew it meant confronting his past.
When he first discusses what motivated him to book the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus on a tour of five southern states in 2017, Tim Seelig, the group’s creative director, mentions the 2016 election and the widening cultural divide in America. The attitude was not “we’re here, we’re queer, get used to it”; the chorus is a genteel organization that uses music to heal and build bridges. But Seelig is clear about his desire to actively confront states that have enacted strong anti-LGBTQ measures with a strong message of love and tolerance.
A new film about the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus and its tour of the southern United States in 2016, “Gay Chorus Deep South,” chronicles the tour the chorus made in the wake of the divisive national election, and the effect it had on the performers and their listeners. While on the tour, the chorus performed in churches, community centers and concert halls throughout the Deep South. The film screens Oct. 13 at 2 p.m. at the Sebastiani Theatre.
They say music is the only international language, and the American South may as well be another country to many gay people. For years LGBTQ people have fled conservative small towns in search of more accepting pastures, a pattern that has only continued during the recent swell of legislation curtailing civil rights brought on in the Trump era. In “Gay Chorus Deep South,” director David Charles Rodrigues follows the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus throughout an emotional tour of the Southern United States. The film is the first Oscar contender for powerhouse producer and former HBO executive Sheila Nevins in her position as head of MTV Documentary Films, and she is coming out strong with “Gay Chorus Deep South.”