Its 1998, its Christmas, I'm 25 and I'm coming out of the closet. "Mom, I'm gay."
A year later I'm quitting my job as an assistant music minister. I had been told that the church wouldn't tolerate an openly gay person on staff. It's Texas, so this kind of bigotry is, unfortunately, to be expected.
Fast forward a few years. I'm back home in the North East, living in New York City, crying with joy at my first Pride Parade, and out to the world.
Today, I'm partnered and always make sure to mention him to new people I meet early in the conversation (my subtle/not so subtle way of continuously coming out). I'm still toying around with which word to use to describe him: Partner; Boyfriend; Husband.
I sing opera, classical art song, and choral music in New York. I think that most people would be surprised to learn that there is still a subtle homophobia within the vocal genre, specifically within opera.
Singers are still in the closet. In fact, an overwhelming amount of people in the arts are still in the closet. Film and Broadway stars are notorious for staying in the closet for fear of being type-casted or black listed.
Beyond the issues of "out" performers, I want to explore why Opera has little to no representations of GLBTI individuals or story lines within the repertoire.
No comments:
Post a Comment