Friday, 5/29/09

As we prepare for our Capital Pride kickoff show June 6-7, I want to share with you a wonderful letter from GMCW's second tenor Ryan Robison:


Dear Friends and Family,

As many of you know, I'm a singer with the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington. This is a chorus that is more than just a bunch of gay men that get together and sing a bunch of musicals, or perform variety numbers ... of course, don't get me wrong, we are that as well ... but we are so much more.

We are a family that looks out for its community. We volunteer our time to try to give back to our community that has given so much to us. When our family rejects us, it is the gay community that is there. When employers fire us, the gay community is there. When we face fear of homophobia, the gay community is there. I define community as the friends and loved ones who fully embrace everything about who we are as GLBT individuals. Who take us in when society has thrown us out.

Like all communities, there are problems. The AIDS epidemic is still out of control, depression and suicide are still far too high among gay teenagers, and then we have a drug and alcohol problem that encompasses all the problems that I just mentioned. And it's my belief that when someone in your family helps you out, then you find any way you can to help back. That's why I'm a member of the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington. We give back through our time, our money, and our talents. We educate through song, and we touch people's spirits with our voices.

That's why we are doing our upcoming concert Through a Glass, Darkly, as part of our June Pride show, in recognition that our community, friendships, and lives are worth both celebrating and saving.

Now, I know that many of you heard this is a show about crystal meth Addition, but it's so, so, so much more. But let's be clear, crystal meth is a huge problem for our community. Health experts estimate that 22 percent of all gay men have tried crystal meth at least once. That is a statistic that can't keep being ignored.

Self-esteem issues are always the main cause of addiction. We all want to be loved, or fit into a crowd. Crystal meth gives the illusion that everything's going to be alright to those who have been kicked out of their homes, told their ugly, or sentenced to damnation from their pastor. Rejection does something to people. It makes feel them feel so alone, so isolated, so unloved. So when they find something that takes all that pain away, it doesn't take much for them to get sentenced to a long road of addiction, where they find out that this mirage of instant gratification only lasts for a short time, but now will stop at nothing to find that same joy again.

What I've just described isn't just for meth addicts, it's ALL addicts. Whether its food, drugs, alcohol, shopping, sex, gambling, porn, internet, an addition is an addiction. It has the same rollercoaster storyline in each version.

So yes, this upcoming concert may focus on a certain drug, but this concert is about all addictions, and why it is our family and our friends that helps through each of those addictions.

I really don't know where I would be without my friends. Ricardo, Dan, and Raphael have been a blessing to me throughout my life. I know that many of you feel the same about your friends.

My whole family will be coming all the way from Indiana to see me in this show. Some of you may know that my mother is a recovering addict herself. She's been clean for over 5 years now. She emulates the definition of what a survivor and a strong woman is to me. I really can't describe what it will mean to have my family in the audience.

So you can see why this concert is so important to not only me, but to the whole community. So here is what I'm asking: come support your community. Come celebrate your friendships with us. Come cry and share this amazing moment with us. Because I promise you, you will know by the end of the concert that you are ... Beautiful.

Ryan Robison
Second Tenor, GMCW


Come experience for yourself the show that has moved many of our chorus members to speak so passionately. We hope that you'll join us.

Jeff