What better way to tune in to the global chorus for LGBTI freedom and equality, but a sing-in? Together, we can promote global harmonies!

As Georgia O’Keeffe once said, ‘Singing has always seemed to me the most perfect means of expression. It is so spontaneous… Since I cannot sing, I paint…’

But you could sing! Whatever your ability! Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans community choirs often mark the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia, and community groups – or even just groups of friends – who want to have a good sing as well.

This sort of action could work well if you wanted to perform as part of a local community event – as one attraction, as part of a larger series of events. It could also work well as a video/online action where, once you’re ready, you can record your performance, upload it online and share it with your friends, local community and the world!

This sort of action could work particularly well for community groups who are looking for a well-being action, with community building – as well as visibility (or audibility!) – at its heart.

How to Organise

This is easy enough to organise if you are part of a community choir, but what if you’re not, and you want to get involved?

Well, the most obvious thing to do is to look around first for a local choir director – this could be someone with bags of expertise, or it could be someone with a background in music, good organisational skills and great community spirit !

Alternatively, you could work on this together as a small group, in a more DIY style !

You could simply choose a particular song (rather than people having to study sheet music) and start singing along with it playing, together with a handful of friends or colleagues. Once you’ve sung together a few times, you could then start singing without the song in the background. Once you are happy, you could then introduce some different harmonies, or more complex arrangements.

You could either work this out collectively, or invite one of you to lead the arrangement (or take it in turns). Once you are happy with everything you could just call it a rap (and get ready to record/perform) or you could then invite others to join the song, if you would like to.

You can find more information at choralnet, and on Wikihow, amongst many other resources out there!

You might also find some inspiration below – a quick round-up of different singing projects that have been organised for IDAHOT around the world.

Sing-ins for IDAHOT

For May 17, 2012, the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Choir led the organisation of a worldwide virtual sing-in, with online participation from choirs, musicians and individuals around the world – under the banner of the OutPost Choir project. Singing along to the specially created song, You Make Me Proud, you can watch the video compilation here:

OutPost Choir Project for IDAHO 2012 – Video Compilation

For May 17, 2013, 116 people of totally different abilities, gathered together with the Korean Gay Men’s Human Rights Choir in South Korea, to sing ‘You Make Me Proud’ once again.

The Korean Gay Men’s Human Rights Choir and friends, for IDAHO 2013

The London Gay Men’s Chorus also joined the staff of Gay Star News, and the London Gay Big Band in 2013, to sing their hearts out as part of the Global Rainbow Flashmob campaign for that year. Choirs in Ireland, France and Canada also marked May 17 in 2013, by singing in Cathedrals !

Gay Star News Musical Flashmob in London, IDAHO 2013

In 2014, over 20 different choirs and musicians – from 14 different countries – came together once again to commemorate the IDAHOT 2014, this time as part of a Global Sing-in for the Day.

For more inspiration on how to use singing for social protest, read this excellent article from the WagingNonViolence project

United Kingdom

Nationwide

L Project’s fab new song, We’re all Human, was not only declared the official IDAHOT 2014 theme tune song, it also broke into the UK independent charts on the week of May 17! We love it, and you can check it out here:

Liverpool

Eurovision mania takes hold in this fab IDAHOT contribution from Dysney & Smydge. Yeah baby, you’ve got it!

Norwich

Sing with Pride joined the Global Sing-in with a community singing workshop led by Chris Rowbury. Check out their fantastic video here:

Leeds

Gay Abandon Choir, from around Leeds in West Yorkshire, joined the global chorus with a moving video performance of “Single Step”:

Bristol

Sing Out Bristol performed at an IDAHOT event on May 17, 2014. More details coming soon!

Sheffield

Out Aloud – Sheffield’s first gay choir joined the chorus with a Sing-along at Sheffield Museums, together with local community groups! More details coming soon!

Brighton & Hove

Brighton & Hove’s Rainbow Chorus joined with local communities at a day of IDAHOBIT events organised by the Brighton & Hove LGBT Community Safety Forum. Read more.

Brighton & Hove’s Rainbow Chorus on IDAHOBIT 2014 ! Source: G Scene.

Edinburgh

Edinburgh’s Loud & Proud Choir were joined by special guests, Common Voices Chorus (from Massachusetts, US), for their Spring Concert on May 17. For more details see their website and facebook page.

Ireland

Con Fusion, Cork’s LGBT Choir, performed at an IDAHOT church service, at the Church of Ireland Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross. Read more.

Con Fusion, performing at an IDAHOT Church service. Cork, Ireland, May 18, 2014.

Dublin

At SIPTU’s great series of IDAHOT events at Liberty Hall, Breda Larkin performed an original live song for IDAHOT 2014. You can watch it here:

France

The LGBT choir, Pelicanto, from Strasbourg, France, joined the global chorus with this spectacular performance of “Uprising” by Muse, featured as part of their “Stras Wars” show. Dedicated to the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia 2014, you can watch the video here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-02nt7oCqy3NjFVc0k2RnF1eEE/edit?usp=sharing

For more information about Pelicanto, see their website.

Pelicanto, an LGBT choir from Strasbourg, joining the global ‘Uprising’ for equality on May 17, 2014.

Germany

The Classical Lesbians – a group of women who love women, and classical music! – held a concert ‘Steps to Various Voices Dublin’ on May 17 in the Begine, a women’s center in Berlin. The concert also commemorated the IDAHOT, with an announcement about everyday discrimination against LGBTI communities. They not only addressed the worsening of the situation for LGBTI in Uganda, Cameroon and Russia but also the situation in Germany where anti-LGBTI stigmatization and violence are still an everyday reality. More details to follow!

China

Beijing Queer Chorus / 北京酷儿合唱团 planned to hold a special IDAHOT 2014 performance in Sunrise Hall, Caoyu Theater in Tainjin, on May 17. With around 20 regular performing members, the chorus is the largest and the only public performing LGBT chorus in China. With a widely varying repertoire from classical music to folk, jazz and pop, the Chorus’s aim is to challenge preconceptions – both musical and social – in society, while providing a social network for its members and audience. More details to follow soon.

South Korea

The Rainbow Action, a coalition of sexual minority organisation in Korea, performed a flashmob with singing and dancing which took place in the Daehanmun area. You can see their video here:

Thailand

Okay, this one isn’t technically singing either, but we couldn’t not include it here! A high-energy dance & music #IDAHOT phenomenon from Bangkok’s, the Rainbow All Boy Cheerleaders!

Azerbaijan

As part of their ‘Sing for Equality’, local organisations played music that symbolises the interests of LGBT people, racial, ethnic, social groups, age, professions and other minorities in Azerbaijan to celebrate May 17. More details coming soon.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Organisations gathered for a major concert, as they launched their new media campaign on hate crimes, and held a discussion that served as the starting point for the Anti-Discrimination Strategy for Bosnia and Herzegovina. More details coming soon!

Croatia

Le Zbor – a lesbian feminist choir based in Zagreb, not only joined the IDAHOT this year with a special singing performance, but also with a series of events – developed together with Zagreb Pride – focusing on LGBTI refugees & the legacy of fascism in Croatia. As they explained in the lead up to the Day:

This year we are giving a performance at the 70th anniversary of a major anti-fascist event in Croatia: the breakthrough of the fascist army lines that took place on the site called Petrova gora and during which 730 partisans and 12 000 civilians, mostly women and children, were finally liberated from atrocities committed by fascist forces in this area during WW2.

Le Zbor choir from Zagreb, Croatia. Source: Gay Games.

Argentina

Nationwide

For this May 17, Argentinian star Jordana Battaglia, recorded a song for the rights of LGBTI people as part of her commitment to live in a more just and equal world. Born in Buenos Aires, the Argentinian singer’s first television appearance was through the reality show “The Voice” Argentina, which made her well known in the country. You can check out her wonderful IDAHOT contribution here !

Jordana Battaglia, Argentinian singer-songwriter, singing for IDAHOT 2014.

Belize

Nationwide

IDAHOT Belize also joined the global chorus for May 17 this year with this moving original song, set to a montage of IDAHOT and equal rights posters from around the world.

Canada

Vancouver – May 17 Rainbow Refugee’s International Day Against Homophobia Dance, Music, and Storytelling Event! For more info see the facebook event page.

Australia

Melbourne

Melbourne Gay & Lesbian Chorus, together with Melbourne Gay & Lesbian Youth Chorus, performed at Melbourne’s May 17, 2014 ‘Equal Love Rally‘. The rally was a huge success with many hundreds of participants! You can watch a great video-montage of the Rally here, set to the official theme tune song for this year’s Melbourne actions, “Equality“, by Rosco Elliot.

Melbourne Choirs join the IDAHOT 2014 Chorus!
Source: Facebook / Andy Bolger

Blue Mountains

Last, but by no means least, communities came together in Blue Mountains, Australia, for a Ukelele play-along of Somewhere Over the Rainbow! You can learn the notes here and read more here.