Origins of Love: NYC Gay Men's Chorus celebrates trans visibility
Still, just a few days early, there was a celebration of music and joy to raise awareness about transgender people.
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It was held at The Great Hall at Cooper Union, which is very meaningful to the members of the New York City Gay Men's Chorus.
It was where they gave their first concert back in 1980, and now, 45 years later, they're back, singing about trans joy.
This free concert was called Origins of Love, celebrating self-love, visibility, and acceptance.
The goal of the standing-room-only gathering was to lift trans and non-binary voices.
'There's a different climate against trans lives across the country, even parts of the world,' John Atorino, the artistic director of the New York City Gay Men's Chorus, told PIX11 News. 'People denying that they should exist or that they do exist. So, the Trans Day of Visibility, in many ways, is a reminder that they are not going anywhere. They have been here forever, and we celebrate that.'
For the first time, a smaller group with the gay men's chorus called Euphoria performed. Its 25 members are all trans or non-binary.
'It's been a very scary time,' Charlie Rickle, the creative director of Origins of Love,' told PIX11 News. 'It's been really great to have a community to support me throughout everything.'
The star of this first come, first served event was Justin Vivian Bond, hailed as a 30-year trans pioneer who was just awarded a MacArthur 'Genius Grant.'
The NYC Gay Men's Chorus will perform its next series of concerts in early June, at the start of Pride Month.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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