By: Paul Goldberg, Staff Writer

GAY NEWS — San Francisco’s Gay Men’s Chorus is about to go on a serious journey through some of the most conservative areas of the United States and they are determined to make sure that this tour will be a safe one!

The group is set to kick off their tour in one month. They say that this tour is an important one as it will take the “Public conversation of LGBTQ rights to a higher plane”.

After what happened in Charlottesville a few weeks ago, San Francisco’s Gay Men’s Chorus is also increasing their security for the tour and they are currently raising more money for the costly trip.

The ‘Lavender Pen Tour‘ is scheduled to feature performances from a San Francisco institution all over the southern United States, but the performance might be the least prominent part of what they are hoping to accomplish.

“We’re going to listen.” said co-chair for the Lavender Pen Tour, Tom Paulino. “I think so much about this trip that’s going to beneficial for our membership is to go to these places to see how our community lives in these particular areas where they don’t have supportive governments,” said Paulino.

According to the “Lavender Pen Tour’ organizers, they want to break out of the Bay Area bubble and permeate areas of the country that are still in 2017, dealing with LGBTQ discrimination.

“When the chorus first started 40 years ago, we didn’t have gay marriage,” added Steve Huffines, San Francisco’s Gay Men’s Chorus board chairman. “No one envisioned that it would ever be possible, much less legal nationwide.” said Huffines.

To preserve those rights the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus is taking on risk. The group is calling on supporters to donate to double the security for their trip.

“We’re going to do everything we can do to keep everyone who’s going on the tour as safe as possible,” added Huffines. “And a significant change to that happened when we saw what happened in Charlottesville.” concluded Huffines.

The group’s tour will is set to take the choir to Jackson, Mississippi and Birmingham, Alabama. Members of the choir will be on hand to meet people in person at churches, performance halls and auditoriums during the Lavender Pen Tour.

According to University of San Francisco professor Kimberly Richman, who specializes in the sociology of law, states that years of data supports this kind of outreach.

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