Jon Reed Sims, who founded the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, went on and founded a number of gay and lesbian choral and instrumental ensembles before his tragic untimely death from AIDS. Since the first 115 members sang on the steps of City Hall in 1978, over 2,000 different men, cis and trans, and non-binary people have sung with the chorus. Fighting against discrimination and bigotry while losing countless loved ones to the AIDS epidemic, the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus not only persevered themselves, but they inspired an LGBTQ+ choral movement worldwide.
The San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus was one of the first of its kind, and was the first to include 'gay' unapologetically in their name.
