A Letter to the IOC from GALA Choruses

Posted on: February 4th, 2014 by GALA Communications

On behalf of GALA Choruses, board president Mindy Taylor and external relations committee chair Martin Brophy, MBE, recently sent a letter to Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee. The letter recognizes the values of inclusion and peace that are at the heart of the Olympic Games, and asks “that the IOC develop language that explicitly includes sexual orientation in existing non-discrimination policies.” The full letter is below:

Mr. Thomas Bach, President
International Olympic Committee
Chateau de Vidy, Case Postale 356
1001 Lausanne, Switzerland

Dear President Bach,

On behalf of GALA Choruses, the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses, with more than 170 member choruses and over 8,000 singers, we are writing to affirm our support for the Olympic Games and the International Olympic Committee, and to express our deep concern regarding the overt discrimination against homosexual, bisexual, and transgender persons in the host country for the 2014 Olympiad. The International Olympic Committee and the Olympic Games are renowned for bringing together nations and individuals in peaceful, mutually respectful competition. We applaud and support the success of the IOC in promoting the universal ethical principles set forth in the Fundamental Principles of Olympism, which explicitly prohibit “any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender, or otherwise.” The Olympic principles are indeed noble and do promote peaceful and respectful international relations, and while we respect the reassurances of the IOC that no athletes will be discriminated against within the constructs of the games, we are apprehensive regarding the personal safety of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) athletes participating in this year’s games, along with families, friends, and supporters in Sochi.

The Russian Federation’s “anti-propaganda” law has been used specifically against “non-traditional (sic) sexual” persons, and amounts to no less than state-sanctioned discrimination and violence. It most certainly does not promote nor reflect the position of the IOC’s ideals of non-discrimination, tolerance, peaceful competition, and cultural diversity. The stated vision of GALA Choruses is “a world where all voices are free”, and it is apparent to us that not all voices are free in The Russian Federation. We believe that the voice of any participating Olympian cannot be truly free unless all Olympian voices are free, including those of GLBT persons.

We respectfully ask that the IOC develop language that explicitly includes sexual orientation in existing non-discrimination policies. We further ask that the Committee acknowledge and repudiate the widespread oppression of GLBT persons within the Russian Federation. Such bold statements by the IOC would uphold the ideals set forth in the fundamental Olympic principle of “plac[ing] sport at the service of the harmonious development of humankind.” It is our belief and our sincere hope that such action also ensures the integrity of the Olympic charter for all future participants.

Sincerely,

Melinda Taylor
GALA Choruses, board president

and

Martin Brophy, MBE
GALA Choruses, external relations committee chair

Member Organizations of GALA Choruses
A Company of Strangers
Albany Gay Men’s Chorus
Allegrezza
Anna Crusis Women’s Choir
Another Octave: Connecticut Women’s Chorus
Aria
Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus
Atlanta Women’s Chorus
Bakersfield Rainbow Voices
Bayou City Women’s Chorus
Boise Gay Men’s Chorus
Boston Gay Men’s Chorus
Buffalo Gay Men’s Chorus
Calgary Men’s Chorus
Calliope Women’s Chorus
Cantaria ‐ The Gay Men’s Chorus of Asheville
Capital City Men’s Chorus
Capital Pride Singers
Central PA Womyn’s Chorus
CHARIS ‐ The St. Louis Women’s Chorus
Charleston Gay Men’s Chorale
Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus
Cincinnati Men’s Chorus
City of Festivals Men’s Chorus
Colla Voce
Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus
Common Woman Chorus
Confluence: Willamette Valley LGBT Chorus
Coral de Cavalheiros Cariocas
Coro Allegro
Council Oak Men’s Chorale
Crescendo: The Tampa Bay Women’s Chorus
Dayton Gay Men’s Chorus
Denver Gay Men’s Chorus
Denver Women’s Chorus
Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus
Desert Voices
Diverse Harmony
Diversity: The Voices of Sarasota
Dreams of Hope
Ensemble Vocal Extravaganza
Fargo / Moorhead Gay Men’s Chorus
Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus
Gainesville Women’s Community Chorus
Gateway Men’s Chorus
Gay Asian Pacific Alliance Men’s Chorus
Gay Men’s Chorus of Charlotte
Gay Men’s Chorus of Honolulu
Gay Men’s Chorus of Houston
Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles
Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida
Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC
GLASS Youth Choir
Golden Gate Men’s Chorus
Hamilton Gay Men’s Chorus
Hampton Roads Men’s Chorus
Harmony: a Colorado Chorale
Harrisburg Men’s Chorus
Hartford Gay Men’s Chorus
Heart of America Men’s Chorus
Heartland Men’s Chorus
Illumni Men’s Chorale
In aChord
Indianapolis Men’s Chorus
Indianapolis Women’s Chorus
Jubilate! The Women’s Chorus of Corvallis
Juneau Pride Chorus
Kansas City Women’s Chorus
Keynote Vocal Group of Christ the Good Shepherd Lutheran Chu
Knoxville Gay Men’s Chorus
LanSINGout Gay Men’s Chorus
Las Vegas Men’s Chorus
Lavender Light Gospel Choir
Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco
Long Island Gay Men’s Chorus
Magic City Choral Society
Maine Gay Men’s Chorus
Mallorca Gay Men’s Chorus
Men Alive
Men’s Chorus of the Ozarks
Miami Gay Men’s Chorus
Modern Men‐ the Coachella Valley Men’s Chorus
Mosaic Youth Chorus
MUSE ‐ Cincinnati’s Women’s Choir
Nevada Gay Men’s Chorus
New Hampshire Gay Men’s Chorus
New Jersey Gay Men’s Chorus
New Mexico Gay Men’s Chorus
New Mexico Women’s Chorus
New Orleans Gay Men’s Chorus
New Wave Singers of Baltimore
New York City Gay Men’s Chorus
North Coast Men’s Chorus
Oakland‐East BayGay Men’s Chorus
Omaggio Youth Chorus
One Voice Charlotte
One Voice Chorus
One Voice Mixed Chorus
Opus Q
Orlando Gay Chorus
Ottawa Gay Men’s Chorus
Our Song: The Atlanta Gay and Lesbian Chorus
Out Loud
Out Loud Chorus
Out Loud: The Colorado Springs Men’s Chorus
Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus
Perfect Harmony Men’s Chorus
PerformOUTKC
Phoenix Metropolitan Men’s Chorus
Phoenix Women’s Chorus
Podium Paris
Portland Gay Men’s Chorus
Portland GSA Youth Chorus
Portland Lesbian Choir
Pride of Greenville Men’s Chorus
Providence Gay Men’s Chorus
Puerta Vallerta Men’s Chorus
Quarryland Men’s Chorus
Rainbow Chorus of Waterloo Wellington
Rainbow Harmony Project
Rainbow Women’s Chorus
Renaissance City Men’s Chorus
Renaissance City Women’s Choir
Resonance Women’s Chorus of Boulder
Reveille Men’s Chorus
Richmond Men’s Chorus
Richmond Women’s Chorus
River City Mixed Chorus
Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus
Rochester Women’s Community Chorus
Sacramento Gay Men’s Chorus
Sacramento Women’s Chorus
Salt Lake Men’s Choir
San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus
San Diego Women’s Chorus
San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus
Seattle Men’s Chorus
Seattle Women’s Chorus
Shining Jazzy Chorus
Silicon Valley Gay Men’s Chorus
Sine Nomine
Sing OutDetroit
Singing Out
Singing OUT!
SingOUT San Luis
Sistrum Lansing Women’s Chorus
Small Difference Women’s Choral Ensemble
Sound Circle
Sound of Light
Southwest Florida Gay & Lesbian Chorus
Steel City Men’s Chorus
Stonewall Chorale
Syracuse Gay & Lesbian Chorus, Inc.
The BEARatones
The Choral Project
The Esoterics
The One Voice Choir
The Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus
The Quire
The Rainbow Chorale of Delaware
Tone Cluster ‐ quite a queer choir
Triad Pride Men’s Chorus
Triangle Gay Men’s Chorus
Turtle Creek Chorale
Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus
Una Voce: The Florida Men’s Chorale
Vancouver Men’s Chorus
VOICES of Kentuckiana
Voices Rising
Voices Twelve
Vox Femina Los Angeles
West Coast Singers
West Michigan Gay Men’s Chorus
Windy City Gay Chorus
Women with Wings
Youth Pride Chorus