The acclaimed Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles (GMCLA) will sing the national anthem for Major League Soccer’s first-ever “Equality Night†featuring the Los Angeles-based Chivas USA match against the Houston Dynamo on Saturday, July 23, 2011, 7:30 p.m., at Home Depot Center in Carson, CA. GMCLA, founded in 1979, promotes civil rights, tolerance and acceptance though music.
Chivas USA is going out of its way to embrace its gay fans, hosting a private reception for Equality Night attendees and offering special seating. Chivas star goalie Dan Kennedy has also recorded a welcome video for LGBT fans attending the evening. Dynamo star Mike Chabala, an outspoken advocate against homophobia and discrimination, participated in the NOH8 campaign.
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The Home Depot Center is located at 18400 S. Avalon Boulevard, Carson, California 90746.
Tickets to the game are $20, a portion of which benefits the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center:
https://oss.ticketmaster.com/html/group_corp_start.htmI?l=EN&team=chivas&owner=1276733&group=951&err=&event=&customerID=
(Promo code: Equality).
The GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF LOS ANGELES (GMCLA) has garnered international acclaim for artistic excellence while remaining deeply rooted in service to the Los Angeles community and beyond by promoting civil rights, tolerance and acceptance though music. Founded in 1979 during the emergence of the gay civil rights movement, critics have proclaimed the chorus “inspired,†“expressive, innovative, and utterly moving,†and hailed it for presenting “meaningful entertainment.†It is one of the largest and most influential men’s choirs in the nation and is the first gay men’s chorus to perform for a sitting president – William Jefferson Clinton. The 230-member choir, which has toured nationally and internationally, has released 15 compact discs, commissioned more than 300 new works and arrangements and has guest starred on such TV shows as “$#*! My Dad Says,” starring William Shatner, “Will & Grace†and “Six Feet Under.†In October 2010, it produced an anti-bullying musical video message featuring Cyndi Lauper’s moving anthem “True Colors†for the “It Gets Better†project, quickly becoming a viral sensation that has received more than 500,000 hits to date. GMCLA, which performs at such venues as Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Alex Theatre, and LA Theatre Center, presents several concerts each season in Los Angeles, including its popular annual holiday concert, which this past December featured country music legend LeAnn Rimes. Additionally, GMCLA has received accolades for its “Alive Music Project†(AMP), a unique music education outreach program designed for high school and college students that uses song to create a powerful anti-LGBT bullying message and also highlights the reality that our community’s struggle for equal rights is not only universal, but an issue that has and can affect any group of people who find themselves in the minority. For more information on the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles, please visit www.GMCLA.org.
