By Dr. Tim Seelig–
Some days you just feel old. It happens from time to time, when you’re old. “What made you feel old today, Tim?” you ask. Thanks for asking. I was doing research for this month’s article and realized this is the 10th year I have penned a June article about Pride for the San Francisco Bay Times. This is my 39th Pride Month since coming out at the ripe young age of 35. Now you know about that old thing.
Normally, I work on an article for a couple of weeks before each deadline. I decided to look back on my ten Pride Month articles. I was going to purposely skip this June. To say this June is a tough one is an understatement. It may well be the most tumultuous of all the 39 Pride Months. I decided it was better to let others opine about current politics. Then the administration came after our Patron Saint Harvey Milk. It was too much. I couldn’t ignore that. It hits too close to home.
The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus was formed in October 1978. It was only one month before Milk was assassinated. The chorus’ first public performance was at the candlelight vigil. In some ways, the chorus took the baton of activism from his inspiration. It sang for the commemorations of Milk’s death and birthdays every year. In 2013, the 35th anniversary of the assassination, the chorus commissioned a huge choral work, I Am Harvey Milk. We were honored to perform it at the unveiling of the Harvey Milk stamp by the U.S. Postal Service.
In 2016, the chorus received a phone call inviting us to sing for another incredible event honoring Milk. We were invited to perform at the naming of a navy ship for him. We were honored to be there and sing. It was one of the most exciting experiences the chorus has had.
We gathered on Treasure Island with the city skyline as the backdrop. Every dignitary you can imagine was there including the Secretary of the Navy, Speaker Pelosi, Mayor Lee, and on and on. We sang our hearts out. Having such an inextricable history with Milk and singing for the ship naming made the ridiculous, petty move by the current occupants of the Pentagon even more difficult to swallow. It hit especially hard. We had a part in that incredible moment that is now being ripped out of our LGBTQ+ history.
There is obviously so much more going on that defies logic and human decency. How do you kill diversity? Who knew people would have the audacity to try? But they are. So, that’s how my June is going. Heartbreaking.
Our community is not the only one under assault. My article from 10 years ago was about three immigrants singing in the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus. The article was ironically titled, “Sanctuary.” The three were from Columbia, Indonesia and Russia. They each knew living openly gay lives in their country was not possible, and they suffered discrimination, rejection, and even violence before seeking asylum. They found sanctuary in San Francisco and singing in the chorus.
Sound familiar? Here we are, nine years later, and things have only gotten worse. Much worse. The article also announced the new organization in town specifically addressing this issue: The LGBT Asylum Project, which is going strong. I can only imagine what they are experiencing these days. If you are looking for a group to support, please consider them:
https://www.lgbtasylumproject.org/
June of 2017 took a much-needed lighter tone: “Pride set to music!” It was a lively romp through the top 35 gay songs up to that point. I worked them into a tragic story! When I began conducting LGBTQ+ choruses in 1987, we had few choices. Thank goodness for Diana Ross and her 1980 hit “I’m Coming Out” and Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors.”
We wore those out. We had to steal songs and alter the words. For the very first concert by the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, they changed the lyrics of “If They Could See Me Now” to a commentary for the folks back home where they came from. What a difference the next three decades would make. Since 2017, when I wrote the article, things have exploded. Not only do we have openly queer artists flooding the airwaves, but also the number of allies is astounding. Most of the biggest stars in the world support our fight.
The articles kept coming. In 2019 the title was, “It’s Not OK.” It was a list of things that were not OK. If I were to update that one, it would fill most of the paper. The article in 2021 was about bringing up our baby gays with an important course, “Homosexualization 101.”
Fast forward to 2023. “Pride is a Trigger Word.” Let me explain. When I came out after 35 years of indoctrination by the Southern Baptists, I was very confused. We had been taught that Pride was a bad thing. It wasn’t just bad; it was a sin. In fact, as my fellow recovering evangelicals will attest, we all know that “Pride cometh before a fall.” Then, I began conducting a gay men’s chorus and Pride was suddenly a good thing and it cameth in June, not the fall!
Pastor Natasha Penny from Hope Bible Church preached a sermon titled, “The Fruits of Pride.” It sounded like the perfect theme for a Pride parade float. In the “you can’t make this up” category, the pastor dove even more deeply into the topic; she literally ended by listing the “Fifty Fruits of Pride.” I thought this would be a great name for a choir! She said, “God is not out to hurt your pride; he is out to kill your pride. God hates pride. Pride is the first sin and the most serious sin. Pride is our greatest problem. Not the devil. Not low self-esteem. Not our upbringing or injustices suffered.” Good to know.
I wonder how pride went from the greatest sin to parades? I am certain they are not OK with us stealing one of their favorite sins and turning it into rainbow flags! I have a sneaky feeling our liberal use of the word pride gets under the fundies’ skin. Let’s keep that going.
It was enlightening to go back and read 10 years of June articles. It was also disappointing to read the things that have not improved in our lives and our fight for equal rights. It does inspire us to remember the life of Harvey Milk. He never gave up fighting. He also reminded us to have hope. We’ll try.
Dr. Tim Seelig is the Conductor Laureate of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus. http://www.timseelig.com/
TLC: Tears, Laughs and Conversation
Published on June 12, 2025
Recent Comments