Gay chorus hits hinterlands to open hearts

When the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus embarked on its Freedom Tour into the heart of Proposition 8 territory over the weekend, there were concerns. Would red-state towns like Redding and Chico turn out to see gay men in tuxedos singing “Over the Rainbow”? Would there be protests, threats or fear-mongering from Shasta County’s fundamentalist community?
 

But chorus artistic director and conductor Kathleen McGuire asked: “Who is afraid of a choir?”