Gay Marriage And The Constitution

Photo credit: Times of Malta
While in Malta I was reminded of much of the stigma and continued persecution many gay and lesbian people face. In London we are lucky to be in a society which embraces difference. Yet even in progressive countries like the U.S., and liberal states like California, we have the pernicious evil that is Prop 8.

I believe in equal rights for everyone, and also believe that we will have it soon, so that this gay and straight divide when it comes to marriage will eventually be seen as a quaint anachronism of the early 21st century. I just wish it were now.

The Wall Street Journal has a great article arguing for equality for gay people in a human rights context, and eloquently expresses how nasty a piece of legislation Prop 8 really is. A recommended read in full, but here are some choice quotes:

...basic constitutional rights cannot depend on the willingness of the electorate in any given state to end discrimination. If we were prepared to consign minority rights to a majority vote, there would be no need for a constitution.

...the ban on permitting gay and lesbian couples to actually marry is simply an attempt by the state to stigmatize a segment of its population that commits no offense other than falling in love with a disapproved partner, and asks no more of the state than to be treated equally with all other citizens.

The argument in favor of Proposition 8 ultimately comes down to no more than the tautological assertion that a marriage is between a man and a woman. But a slogan is not a substitute for constitutional analysis. Law is about justice, not bumper stickers.

Look Back In Wonder

Every season with the Pinkies is memorable, just as every season is different. There are always new Pinkies coming, old Pinkies leaving, new places to visit, old friends to catch up with, and the baseline level of flux keeps things interesting. This season, and this year in fact, has been significantly more exciting than before though, because there has been a considerable amount of change happening. Lynne, our former chair, left the Pinkies on a very even keel, and I know I felt a little trepidation at the prospect of someone else taking over. But Mark and the new committee have put their own successful stamp on the Pinkies, and I thought I'd like to jot some of my thoughts down on what it has meant for me.

1. A much busier season
The biggest change has got to have been that we have performed a whole lot more this season than in any season before. Even before the summer session properly kicked off we were in the Southbank Centre, and this was followed by loads of small gigs, trips to Paris, Edinburgh and Malta, Various Voices London and our usual summer concert. There has been nothing quite like it, and it has been challenging to the choir to learn all the music and choreography to the level we want.

I must confess to not being entirely comfortable with this level of activity, in the main because choral singing really is a team effort. Because we are amateurs, it is hard for all of us to commit the time required to fully polishing up our performance. Most seasons I learn all my music by week 6 or 7, and then I just cruise until the concert. This time round though, the music was chopped and changed from concert to concert, and we had new joint songs to learn as well. I barely got all my music down pat, and must confess that I probably had 95% of the repertoire at performance level, not the 99% I am used to, but even that required a lot of hard work. I am not sure that others want to or can put in the hours needed, nor, arguably, should they be expected to.

On the plus side - there's nothing like common adversity (this word is a bit strong, but you get the idea) and a shared challenge to draw people closer together, and I know the Pinkies who stuck through all the gigs from the start of the year came away feeling exhausted, yes, but with a sense of satisfaction at having worked hard to create something which was worthwhile. I was rather teary at the end of our gig in Malta, partly because we performed really well, but also because it was the end of a great season, packed to the brim with fantastic moments and lasting memories.

I hear that in the coming season we are going to take things just a little bit easier, with fewer events. After the summer I think we need it! But at the same time we do need more performance opportunities to progress us musically, and also to create those experiences which make me glad to be in the Pink Singers. That line is a fine one, and I think the Pinkies are still trying to find the right balance. We know now how far we can go if pushed though!

2. A cap on numbers
When I joined the choir those years ago there were just over thirty members. In the intervening years our choir has grown steadily, and each time we moved our rehearsal venue, from the Drill hall to the Royal Academy of Music, and then to the Place, it became possible to increase the size of the choir. Thankfully, the choir has never had a shortage of would-be Pinkies, but the number of place in the choir always seemed to grow in tandem with the them. At present, however, we have a cap of 80 members, that's 20 per section or 10 per voice. Yet our retention rate is now very high as well, and if you couple that with more and more people writing in their interest to Liang, our new-members' rep, something has got to give.

The first thing was that former Pink Singers are now no longer guaranteed a place in the choir if they have spent more than 2 seasons out. Retired Pinkies still get first dibs on places if they are under that threshold, because people have to take time out for a multitude of reasons. But I certainly think this makes it much fairer for newbies. At the back of my mind, I realise that circumstances may mean I am unable to sing for a year, which would in turn mean that I may not be able to come back. But at the same time I would not want to deny others the wonderful experience of being a Pink Singer.

The second thing, is that the entry process is now not just a simple "voice check" as it used to be. In fact, for a while it has been an audition of sorts. But while Mladen and Michael De can keep an ear out for vocal quality, the Pinkies are not just about singing, it is a real community of people. Sadly, you can't tell how much people will embrace being in the choir by a single trial session: some of the quietest people in their first rehearsal have blossomed the most in the past year, just as some of the noisiest contribute the least. How this is going to be addressed is another issue. I know this is an area that Liang is putting a lot of thought into. We'll see what happens in the coming year!

3. Dividing the load
Although a larger choir means a lot more organisation, this is balanced by having more people who are willing to volunteer a little bit more in running the choir. For the first time in a while all the committee positions were filled, and we even had two positions which were contested at the elections. This is a marvellous place to be in. Part of this was due to the reorganisation of the roles within the committee, to make them more consistent with what they were actually doing, but part of it is due to people now getting more involved in how the choir is run. The open meetings certainly give people a say, and many Pinkies now participate in the running and promotion of our concerts. I agree with Emelda, as she told me on the night of the concert, that it has felt a whole lot more of a team effort this season.

What is probably most reassuring for the committee members is that there are many Pink Singers who would be willing to take on individual projects, even if they do not want to go for a committee role. For instance, Gary did a superb job in handling our new T-shirts with Mark's guidance. Our twitter, Facebook and MySpace pages have been handled by people other than the webmaster (already a full-time job!). It was wonderful that the committee this year recognised the help so many general members provide by giving them a token of appreciation - the limited edition Pink Singers mug. Looks like I have to keep doing stuff for the next few years if I want to get my set of 6!

4. Taking care of new Pinkies, remembering old ones.
One downside of the manic summer season was that because we had so many concerts early on, it was really only possible for existing members to perform, using older repertoire. The new Pinkies were started on the new repertoire of course, but they didn't really get a chance to be part of a performance until later on, and I think they felt a little left out as the rest of us went of and did gigs everywhere else. Some people, like Joanna and Frances for instance, seized the day, but some others found it really hard going and eventually left the choir. My philosophy is that we can't please everyone all the time, but what we can do is offer as much support to struggling members as we can. I know the section leaders do keep an eye out to make sure people are not being left behind, but if they do, and they decide that being a Pink Singers is not for them, then we need to find out whether there is anything that can be done to remedy the situation. Often there is not, and being in a choir does need a degree of commitment which they were perhaps unwilling to make.

Conversely, this season we have also had to deal with two of our longest serving members leaving the choir for personal reasons. Bill has been a Pinkie for 11 years and Andy M has been one for a decade. Both have contributed in so many different ways to the choir, by singing and taking part in events, and in Andy's case also arranging music for us. They will be sorely missed, and it was wonderful that we could recognise their labours. Thank you both once again!

5. A sense of Pride
Although we can hardly be described as activists, I don't think it is going too far to say that for an LGBT choir we weren't very LGBT about it. This does not, of course, mean wearing spandex or platform shoes - we can be gay or lesbian without any of the stereotypes thank you very much - it meant that, apart from Pride, LGBT History Month and World AIDS Day, we weren't really doing very much in or for the community. Part of the hesitation was that people were, for personal reasons, worried about being out. However, the fact that the Pink Singers identifies as a lesbian and gay choir, and have many public performances, makes this point somewhat moot, as well as being incongruous. Indeed, just because you are in the choir doesn't mean that you are necessarily lesbian or gay, just that you share a sense of social justice for all members of society, especially lesbian and gay people. The good news is that where we were once hamstrung by issues of privacy, we are now much prouder. Our role in Malta has galvanised me, and now that we have a community director by way of Jules, expect a lot more Pinkies community involvement in the future.

There are so many other people to thank this season: the entire committee of course, with special shout outs to Ben P, Andrew F and of course Mark. And there are so many things to look forward to in Winter 2009. It is a very exciting and challenging time to be in the Pink Singers, and we are still all trying to find our way. But it is oh so rewarding as well!

Men Who Look Like Old Lesbians

Yes, I know that this is a cruddy link, but hey, I find it amusing that there is even a blog devoted to collecting pictures of men who look like old lesbians. Actually the title of the blog is slightly misleading as there are some younger lesbian-looking men in there as well.

The Pink Singers Hit Malta Pride!

I love the Pink Singers' overseas trips. We've travelled to tons of places around the globe, mainly to north America and around Europe, and every experience is a new one. These little excursions give us the chance hang out with other Pinkies in a relaxed setting, do even more singing and, of course, meet other people who enjoy singing.
Our trip to Malta last week though, had a few notable differences. The first was that we were going to Malta to help support the Malta Gay Rights Movement at their Gay Pride week, and the second was that we were to sing with a church-linked choir. Maltese society is very traditional, and also staunchly Catholic, which made the whole event a unique one, in that we were there to build bridges and overcome differences.
Worthy as all of that is, before it - of course - came the holiday! We were all going out at different times, centering on the time of the concert, and these Pink Insiders left on the Monday after our summer concert. Malta is hot in July, and that limits activities any more strenuous than walking to the hours before 11am and after 4pm. Our first day was spent fixing the air conditioning in the hotel room and downing a bottle of rose.
I don't want to detract from any of the many wonderful historical and geographic sights in Malta - we went to the old capital at Mdina, saw the crypts at Rabat, and were dangly over the Dingli cliffs, and we visited the co-cathedral in Valetta and took pictures of the Grand Harbour - but at the end of the day this was a Pinkie holiday, so it was more about chilling with the others.
It isn't surprising that as the choir gets bigger you begin to lose touch with individuals. At rehearsal and then afterwards in the pub you don't often get the chance to speak to others. This time round though I spent much more time with people like Karin and Denise, Jules and Greg, James H and Alp. I really value getting to know them so much better, and it has reaffirmed my belief that the Pinkies really does attract some of the nicest people.
Kudos especially go out to Daniel B, who I regret not having gotten to know particularly well prior to our trip out to Malta, but who I now think is one of the kindest and most selfless people on the planet. After all it was he who basically made sure that our stay on Gozo was not only convenient, it was filled with experiences I never thought I'd encounter. There was the festa of St. George in Victoria with the frenzied enthusiasm of Gozitans cheering the placing of the statue on the plinth outside the cathedral. There was the slightly creepy sensation of swimming in darkness in the tunnel between the inland and outer sea.
Most memorable of all though was the glorious afternoon we spent on a boat cruising around Gozo. Jules was trying to demonstrate his cleavage to us ('nuff said) and a couple of ladies at the back of the boat overheard him and guessed that we were singers. It turned out that they were operatic sopranos themselves, and good ones too, from the Netherlands, and what followed then was much singing and laughing. It got the people on the upper deck chilled out too and they soon joined in. We jumped off the side of the boat into the clear blue water, swam, drank and sang some more. That evening was followed by a shared meal thanks to Charlie and Liang our chefs, accompanied by Bette Midler on the iPod, and operatic drinking songs. It was a magical day I will always remember, and none of it would been possible if it wasn't for the Pink Singers.
I was fully expecting the return to Valletta to be disappointing after that, and was surprised when things kept going on a high. We met the other Pink Singers that evening by the sea for a meal together but didn't stay out too late because we knew that it was Malta Pride the next morning.
Having just experienced Pride London a couple of weeks ago, and the sheer number of people both on parade and watching, I can honestly say that Malta Pride is a completely different kettle of fish. It was Pride shedding its ridiculous commercial appearance and getting back to the its roots: showing people that no, we are not weirdos, we are your brothers and sisters, your friends, your colleagues, so how can you discriminate against us? The march itself was not large, and the Pink Singers increased the number of marchers significantly. Andrew F had planned ahead and brought a stack of stickers from Amnesty International saying "Some People Are Gay, Get Over It", and had also invested in rainbow and trans flags for us to wave.
Despite the serious intent the mood was quite festive and we did provoke more than the odd stare from passers by. I had a long chat with Bernard from the Malta Gay Rights Movement (MGRM), and he lamented that there weren't more people active in their group. It seems that apathy is a global issue, and that many gay people seem to be happy with "adequate", rather than pushing for "equality". People do need to continue to fight intolerance, and it is interesting that the next day the Bishop of Gozo apparently set out a sermon condemning gays and lesbians as a danger threatening society, quite forgetting that we are part of society and have always been, not something which exists outside of it.
This makes the concert that evening all the more remarkable. It was partly the brainchild of MGRM, but came to fruition through Symphonik, a project of the Young Christian Workers of Malta. The latter group is made up of about thirty young men and women who have nobly taken on themselves the aim of overcoming prejudice through music. In London the Pinkies don't tend to be involved in such collaborative projects, so it was wonderful that we were given this opportunity in Malta.
As with all such events, there was some initial shyness as we first got to meet each other, but whether it is due to the incredible warmth of the Maltese people or just these Maltese in particular, I can honestly say that I now have some great new friends like Lorleen, Clyde and Martha.
Symphonik are a talented and very energetic group of performers. They write their own music and sing many of their own songs, and are lucky enough to have their own in-house band who provide much of the backing music, as well as many confident soloists who are not afraid to perform on stage in front of hundreds of people. I thoroughly enjoyed their set, especially their opening number Ameno and in the balcony I can tell you that the Pink Singers were singing along to almost everything from Can You Feel The Love Tonight to Bohemian Rhapsody.
As for our half of the concert, well what can I say? It was wonderful. Despite the stage being smaller than we are used to (despite our reduced numbers), and the presence of microphones, we sang well. We ought to have since the summer concert was just a week ago! This time round we performed 70s Dance Party as our finale, leaving Hallini as our last, surprise encore. I am the first to admit that I was worried about it. The last thing you want it for your encore to be less successful than your finale, but the moment we started singing the audience pretty much roared and clapped and sang along. Symphonik even formed a conga line and danced around the auditorium. The whole concert ended in a joint rendition of Angels which nearly blew the roof off it was that passionate and that loud!
Photo credit: Peter Borg
That evening was spent in the only gay (bar) in the village (sic.) called Tom's Bar. The proprietors didn't know what hit them because the Pinkies descended en masse after the concert, together with Symphonik and people from MGRM, swigging down their stock of Cisk, the local beer. It was there that Lorleen came up with the great idea of organizing a swimming expedition the next day.
Feeling just a little fragile the next morning, we left it until late to meet up, and even then it was after the heat of the day had lessened a little before we went out to the rocks. I was just thinking that our average Sunday is spent in one of the rooms at the Place; what a great idea if we could rehearse in the sea!
That evening, we met up again for what was another highlight of our Maltese visit. We took over the entire restaurant for some traditional Maltese food, including rabbit, fish and wrapped beef rolls. As with all these social events there was more singing to be had, from traditional Maltese songs, to spontaneous solos (Cormac was the consummate performer), to a reprise (albeit somewhat flat) of the previous night's repertoire. I loved it! At the end of the day, this is what it is about. Sexuality is a total non-issue and we share so much more in common than we have differences - it is these commonalities which count.
Speaking with MGRM at the end, I think they felt encouraged to keep Sounds of Diversity as an on-going event. Europe is certainly full of LGBT choirs who would jump at the chance to perform in Malta. I hope this is the start of many years of diversity to come!

Summer Lovin' With The Pink Singers

I can't believe what a hectic season it has been, but it was all about to culminate in our summer concert. There was a little trepidation as our home venue, the Royal Academy of Music, was closed for refurbishment and we were compelled to try out a new place; but arriving at the rather grand Britten theatre at the Royal College of Music most of our fears were put to rest.
Singing on a new stage always involves sound checks and modifications to choreography. I thought the audibility was improved both on stage (for the choir) and in the audience, so that was great for everyone. However, the risers on stage were lower than we are used to at the Royal Academy (where you can break a hip if you get off them too quickly), and it didn't help that some of the shortest tenors were standing behind the tallest basses and were playing peek-a-boo with Mladen. Overall though I did like the intimacy of the place which meant we were much closer to the audience than usual.
Claire H rejoined the choir to sing the parts from O Fortuna. She has a simply luminous voice, and gave the notes that effortless colour which made my spine tingle. Then there were the incredible solos from Tom, Sally-Ann, Andrew F, Tanya, Cilla and Alex. If I had to pick a favourite I would say it was Alex's Till There Was You which stole the show. Our own run-through went very well, with just a few nervous errors here and there, so it was particularly interesting to hear just how great we sounded in the actual performance. The Pinkies really upped their game!
It certainly helped that we had a great audience. They laughed when we sang America, clapped along when we did the 70s Dance Party, cheered when we looked vaguely revolutionary in One Day More and applauded heartily when we completed the cycle of Carmina Burana. I am not sure that whether it was in relief (Blaaaaaaniflor et Helena!) or admiration, but it was much appreciated!
Photo credit: Alp
All in all I think we put on quite the show and the audience left the auditorium on a high. But there was more to come as the party continued later at the Student Union bar in Imperial College. We'd hired a karaoke machine, which meant Pinkies like Susan, Daniel really had a chance to shine. Like my friends said, it was like a second concert!
The trite and overused phrase is that we "work hard and play hard", but that really is true with the Pink Singers. We do put in a lot of work to get our performances up to the standard they are, and what we create is something I am very impressed with and proud of. And there was tons of work behind the scenes all season to keep the Pinkies running smoothly as a choir. I am really glad that there was an official recognition for this, and for those members who have committed years of their time to the Pink Singers, by way of a presentation of gifts backstage. But we also have huge amounts of fun together too and that is at least as important.

Galileo Was Right

Have Some Summer Lovin'!

If you are wondering what all the fuss is about, then prepare to be dazzled this Saturday. Yup, at long last the busiest Pink Singer season on record is coming to a close. Everything culminates in our summer concert, this time in the fabulous Britten theatre at the Royal College of Music. This is a new venue for us, and we're really excited about how it will sound. Our concert, Summer Lovin', features some of the music we've been rehearsing and includes our usual eclectic mix of classical, jazz, folk and pop. We're singing everything from Anton Bruckner to Massive Attack - sticking to one musical genre is really not our thing - and there is literally something for everyone. Not only, that, what follows is the party to end all parties at the Imperial College bar. Karaoke, a beer garden and views of Hyde Park on a summer's evening, and your ticket gets you entry to this too. It doesn't get better than this; what are you waiting for? Get your ticket now!

The Pink Singers: Summer Lovin'
Time: doors open 7pm for concert at 7.30pm
Venue: Britten Theatre, Royal College of Music
Tickets: £15/ £12 concessions
Available: On-line or by phone: 07020 934678


View Larger Map

Singing With Pride

It didn't start out well. Grey clouds rolled in at lunchtime and the few droplets of rain I felt going up Baker Street soon turned into a full-flegded downpour. Curse my leaving my umbrella at home in false optimism! I couldn't even find the Pinkies at first, my eye having been momentarily distracted by the Selfridges models wearing Calvin Klein. I did run into some of my twitter buddies from the LGMC though, and after walking along a bit I thought it prudent to perhaps loiter as the rest of the column walked past.

Call it fate, or a sign, but the sun came out at precisely the same moment I saw the Pink Singers, resplendent in our still-pretty-new T-shirts. The basses had baby pink eBay-derived wigs on and Jules went for the whole Dame Edna look. They looked absolutely fantastic! The Pinkies were also joined on the march by a number of WAGs, Lou being rather enterprising and buying a T-shirt for her other half which proclaimed as much.

This year's march has got to have been one of the best I've been on in terms of attendance. The pavements were packed from Baker Street all the way down Oxford Street, Regent Street, Picadilly Circus, Trafalgar Sqaure and even down into White Hall. This time round we were between a group in front selling web hosting (everyone knows IT geeks are strong in the way of the gayness) and the London Frontrunners (hurrah!) and the LGBT football clubs behind. The good thing about the IT geeks was that they had brought their own trannie DJ who played club classics as we were following, and that gave us some music to sing along to. You just can't stop us once the music gets going. Hmmm... Idea for next year's march perhaps?

Another idea is to have someone run along with a mobile bar. By the time we had turned into Regent Street I had reapplied my sunblock twice and gone through my litre bottle of water. Emelda had already downed her bottle of bubbly a junction earlier! Others had been drinking their own version of "Lilt" which meant they were in a decidedly good mood throughout the parade. At the end of the march I was feeling particularly prune-like and all I needed was a bit of a snooze.

The best was to come though, because the Pink Singers were on stage later on that evening. The good weather meant that the crowds were out in force, and the organizers were trumpeting that one million people were on the march. They couldn't all fit into Trafalgar Sqaure of course, but it it sure felt like it. The atmosphere was great, and the setting sun really cast a golden glow on the event.

The ever amazing Paleday came on stage, opening with Eurotramp, then segueing into the Pink Singers' emergence. Despite having had very little rehearsal and not knowing what the stage looked like before climbing the stairs, the whole process looked really smooth. The Pinkies launched into California Dreamin' much to the adulation of the audience. What really made the difference this year (apart from the weather) was the repertoire - which was what people wanted to hear and sing along with - and Paleday with their band and brass section. Everyone felt the vibe: not just the audience, but also the Pinkies who looked like they were having the best party of all on stage.

California Dreamin' was followed in quick succession by 70s Dance Party, introduced as ever by Philip R. Philip was at the very first Pride London march in 1971, which means this was his 38th Pride London, and he has been at all 26 of the Pink Singers' Pride Londons too. There was awed respect and a hearty round of applause for that.

When we first started rehearsing 70s Dance Party way back in February I never really thought it could be that good. But on stage at Pride when everyone was singing along, it felt so perfect. At one point the music seems to end, after Dancing Queen, and you could hear the crowd getting ready to whoop and clap, but then we started singing You're The One That I Want and the crowd went wild! The very last piece we did was a joint song with Paleday singing YMCA. It was a sight seeing everyone in Trafalgar Square doing the movements.

There has been much debate in the press about the depoliticisation of Pride, and while I do think that that is important, for people coming out, being overly strident can be a turn off. The march is especially significant regardless of how overt its activist credentials are, because while there are press-friendly muscle-bound men dressed in underwear and bearded bears made up like Dorothy, there are also people who don't conform to those stereotypes. Pride is that one day when gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transexuals and everyone of all walks of life can emerge and wave their colours before merging with the rest of society for the rest of the year. The Pinkies are a microcosm of London LGBT life, and we are proud of it too!