{"id":656,"date":"2018-12-18T13:55:40","date_gmt":"2018-12-18T21:55:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/openbooks.org\/?page_id=656"},"modified":"2018-12-18T13:57:04","modified_gmt":"2018-12-18T21:57:04","slug":"gmcla-12-15-12-16-2018","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/openbooks.org\/gmcla-12-15-12-16-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"GMCLA – 12\/15 & 12\/16 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Gay Men\u2019s Chorus of LA Partners\u00a0with Gender Nation\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0To Bring LGBTQ+-Friendly Books to Children in Schools\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(LOS ANGELES) \u2013 <\/strong>DECEMBER <\/strong>10<\/strong>, 2018 \u2013<\/strong> One of the nation\u2019s most renowned choral organizations, Gay Men\u2019s Chorus of Los Angeles (GMCLA) has partnered with Gender Nation, a groundbreaking new organization that works with schools and school districts to provide them with age appropriate books that explore issues facing LGBTQ+ youth and their families. GMCLA believes providing access to these stories in school libraries will help all kids feel more seen and heard, as well as encourage compassion and empathy in all students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLGBTQ+ youth are three times more likely to consider suicide than heterosexual youth, and five times more likely to attempt suicide. But one connection to the outside world can change that,\u201d says Gender Nation co-founders Morgan Walsh and Keiko Feldman. \u201cGender Nation empowers and validates children through access to uplifting, inclusive stories that demonstrate the full spectrum of sexuality and gender identity.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gender Nation was founded by Walsh and Feldman, two moms who want a more inclusive world for not only their own kids, but all kids. Feldman\u2019s 18-year old son, Zach Johnson, was honored at last year\u2019s GMCLA Voice Awards with its first-ever Rising Voice Award. Last month, Gender Nation delivered 400 books to be placed in all of the elementary schools in the Glendale Unified School District, as well as a handful of schools in LAUSD.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cImagine being a young LGBTQ+ kid and seeing a book in your school library that you identify with, that tells your story,\u201d said GMCLA Board Vice-Chair Steve Holzer, who brought the two organizations together.  \u201cIt could make all the difference in that young person\u2019s life.  I know it would have made a difference in mine.  I\u2019m thrilled that GMCLA is teaming up with Gender Nation to make sure all young people know that they can be \u2013 and become – exactly who they truly are.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGMCLA is absolutely thrilled to begin this partnership with Gender Nation,\u201d said GMCLA Executive Director Jonathan Weedman. \u201cTheir mission so perfectly aligns with our own, and we look forward to working together to share our message of acceptance and understanding with our precious children.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gender Nation will have an information table at GMCLA\u2019s upcoming \u201cHoliday Spectacular: Calling All Angels,\u201d which will take place on December 15th and 16th<\/sup> at Glendale\u2019s Alex Theatre. Visit www.gmcla.org<\/a> to purchase tickets or for more information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the last few years, GMCLA has expanded its outreach through various exciting new projects and programs. Their Alive Music Project allows them to perform in schools, promoting an anti-bullying message of inclusivity. They\u2019ve also partnered with the Arts For Incarcerated Youth Network to work with incarcerated youth in Los Angeles County\u2019s juvenile correctional system.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information on GMCLA, visit www.gmcla.org<\/a>. For more information on Gender Nation, visit www.openbooks.org<\/a>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

### <\/p>\n\n\n\n

About Gay Men\u2019s Chorus of Los Angeles (GMCLA)<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For 40 years, Gay Men\u2019s Chorus of Los Angeles has built an international reputation for musical excellence while remaining deeply rooted in service to the Los Angeles community. Hailed by the Los Angeles Times as \u201cone of the last important links to a glorious tradition in music,\u201d GMCLA is one of the country\u2019s largest male choruses with over 299 singers. GMCLA has commissioned more than 600 new works and arrangements, released fifteen albums, appears frequently in film and on national television, and is the first openly gay chorus to tour central Europe (1991), broadcast over Russian television (1999), tour South America (2006), and perform for two sitting U.S. Presidents. GMCLA also has an extensive youth outreach program that brings a message of love, acceptance, and hope and has reached over 75,000 students in the Los Angeles area through our\u202fAlive Music Project, Arts for Incarcerated Youth Network, and Partnership for LA Schools. \u202f <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gay Men\u2019s Chorus of LA Partners\u00a0with Gender Nation\u00a0\u00a0To Bring LGBTQ+-Friendly Books to Children in Schools\u00a0\u00a0 (LOS ANGELES) \u2013 DECEMBER 10, 2018 \u2013 One of the nation\u2019s most renowned choral organizations, Gay Men\u2019s Chorus of Los Angeles (GMCLA) has partnered with Gender Nation, a groundbreaking new organization that works with schools and school districts to provide them with age appropriate books that explore issues […]<\/p>\n

Read More<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"__cvm_playback_settings":[],"__cvm_video_id":"","footnotes":""},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/openbooks.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/656"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/openbooks.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/openbooks.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openbooks.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/47"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openbooks.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=656"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/openbooks.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/656\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/openbooks.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=656"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}