"Banned Together" premiered by the Columbus Gay Men's Chorus at GALA Festival 2024

Описание: Banned Together, an original commission for the Columbus Gay Men's Chorus composed by Pax Ressler, is performed at the GALA Choruses festival in Minneapolis in July 2024.

Notes from our Artistic Director Jared Brayton Bollenbacher:

Banned. You hear it so often in the news. From banning books, to who
can come to the country, to who can plays sports, to the ability to control your own body, to how someone can perform. It seems like a never ending onslaught of politicians using soundbites to rile up hatred and fear that causes communities to vote against their rights and rights of those who are oppressed. This vile rhetoric and fear takes our focus away from what is really going on in our communities. It paints the picture that we live in an "us v them" world when we should be living in a "we" world. It creates a world where tolerance is the height of love instead of acceptance. In an ideal world, tolerance would progress to acceptance.

Unfortunately, we aren't living in a world where ideals have been working out lately. Instead, tolerance ends up becoming more division. Tolerance often stops deep, insightful conversations. In many ways, that is what banning has done to our society. We shout soundbites at things instead of engaging each other in ways that make us challenge how we interact with others and how we learn. Banning allows skewed views and misinformation to run rampant. It doesn't allow people to experience and educate themselves on what they feel is right and wrong.

We must fight the bans. Not just to stop Florida politicians from outlawing a rainbow flag, but to make sure our drag performers are able to do continue their craft. To advocate for women to have equal rights, for trans friends and family to find the same acceptance that straight individuals have. We must fight to protect books so that we can allow individuals to read and think for themselves and learn. Ultimately, banning together to fight for a city, state, country, and world that we want to improve is vital for all of our futures.
As much as some want us to be banned together, we will Band together.