They found comfort in gathering together and singing.
When Harvey Milk, the first openly gay candidate elected as San Francisco Supervisor, was assassinated Nov. 27, 1978, an impromptu performance took place on the steps of San Francisco City Hall.
At that moment, the first openly gay chorus performed publicly for the first time.
Since then, gay choruses have sprung up across America.
Bloomington’s Quarryland Men’s Chorus has roots in the Bloomington feminists’ chorus, which has since dissolved.
“It’s a safe place where people can come and be whoever they want to be with full acceptance and no judgment,” said Tim Selph, a member of Bloomington’s Quarryland Men’s Chorus.
Founded in 2002, the nonprofit chorus aims to serve as a cultural ambassador for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community in Indiana.
Now, in its 14th year, it’s making significant strides in accomplishing that goal.
Robert Ping-Slater, the group’s president elect, said 40 singers is the ideal amount for a men’s chorus.
After the auditions which took place on Monday, Ping-Slater said it’s likely the group will have reached that number.
Ping-Slater credits this growth to the group’s recently increased efforts in reaching the Bloomington community.
They have been performing at many local events as well as IU women’s basketball games and men’s soccer games.
“We also broke a really neat threshold in that we have seven allies singing with us currently,” Ping-Slater said.
Joey Benefiel, one of the men who auditioned Monday, said he was looking forward to the camaraderie of the chorus.
“There’s not a whole bunch of all men’s group type things where a bunch of men can get together to do something artistic,” Benefiel said. “Not in a sexist way, but it’s nice to be a part of a group with a masculine energy like that.”
The group is not limited to gay men. It welcomes any men who are allied with the gay community as well as anyone who identifies as a man.
Women, like the group’s former president, can participate by helping with the offstage duties.
Not only is the chorus expanding its numbers, it is also growing in influence.
They were recently invited to perform in Columbus, Indiana, which is known to be a fairly conservative city, according to Selph.
“It went really well,” Selph said. “We birthed their first pride. We were it.”
Many attendees of the Columbus performance asked to be notified of the group’s future shows. Ping-Slater said he saw this as a sign of growing tolerance in the city.
Chorus members said they were also excited about this year’s GALA Choruses Inc. 2016 Festival.
It will be Quarryland’s second time competing in the international music festival, which happens once every four years.
This year, it will take place in Denver July 2-6.
“It’s amazing, it’s inspirational, it’s emotional,” Ping-Slater said of the event. “There are so many different types of choirs. It’s really beautiful.”
Until then, the group will continue practicing, performing and celebrating Indiana’s LGBT community.
“As GLBT people, we’re often silenced,” Brian Galm, another group member, said. “So there’s a symbolism in us making noise. Especially if it’s in harmony.”
