Sing Out Brussels kicked off Brussels Pride with a stunning performance on the main stage. A musical celebration that immediately set the right mood for the thousands of participants: festivity and protest! It was also a moment of great personal significance for the members of the choir.
On 18 May, the sky above Brussels was still grey and overcast, but shortly after noon you could feel the warmth of thousands of people gathered on the Mont-des-Arts for something bigger than themselves. Brussels Pride was celebrating its 30th anniversary, and Sing Out Brussels was there where it mattered: on the main stage, right before the start of the march.With Freedom by George Michael, we set the tone: a song that made immediately clear what this day was all about. And for those who hadn’t quite got the message, our dazzling medley Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us followed straight after. A song that makes you want to take to the streets.
Pride is a party and a protest
Pride is a party and a protest — that was also the message from choir member Sam. After the medley, he took the microphone and reminded us that the fight against homophobia is far from over. Here in Belgium, and certainly elsewhere in the world.
In his words: “I think of all the people who, like me, have fled their country because of their gender identity or sexual orientation, searching for a place of refuge. A refuge that can be a country, or a love that colours our lives pink. A refuge can also be an inclusive choir that welcomes the diversity of all genders and backgrounds, like Sing Out Brussels.” Sam’s full speech can be read at the bottom of this article.
That message of solidarity resonated in the song that followed: You Are My Sister by Anohni. It offered a tender and intimate moment amidst the exuberance of Pride.
Various Voices
Then the celebration continued in full force: with Love Yourself by Billy Porter, we called the entire audience to a “revolution”. And that revolution came swiftly, as we closed with Sexual Revolution by Army of Lovers. Exactly as it should be: loud, proud and unapologetic.
Before that last song, Christophe took the floor to announce something special: in just over a month, Brussels will host the Various Voices festival, an international LGBTQI+ choral festival bringing nearly 120 choirs and 4,000 singers from across the world to our capital. A wonderful reminder that singing connects us, well beyond borders. Perhaps you’ll be there too? Maybe at the main event at the ING Arena on 27 June?
A Performance That Meant the World
After the performance, we took to the streets and sang our way through Brussels, alongside thousands of others.
Afterwards, choir member Luigi shared a personal reflection with the rest of Sing Out Brussels! that perhaps best captures why this performance and this day meant so much: “10 years ago I was not out yet. I was so confused, scared by what I felt, and not accepting myself. Fast forward, 10 years later being on the stage of Pride, in the capital of Europe, being so happy and at ease with all of you, in front of thousands of people! This is something that was so unimaginable back in the days. It has such a strong meaning for me today. A key moment in my acceptance journey that I will never forget.”
That is why Sing Out Brussels! exists and sings. Not only to make music, but to be visible and heard, for one another and for everyone who does not yet dare to be.
Sam’s full speech at the concert:
Singing is doing something joyful for yourself and sharing it with others.
Singing is expressing what lives deep within us.
Singing is fighting and being the voice of those who are forced into silence and hidden lives.
I think of the thousands of LGBTQIA+ people around the world who are suffering in silence right now, because there are still countries that criminalise homosexuality. When times grow darker, these people sadly no longer shine — their light fades behind bars.
Their only offence is being different in societies that do not accept tolerance. It pains me when the European Union encourages homophobic countries to continue their discriminatory policies by labelling them safe countries, while LGBTQIA+ people there endure various forms of psychological and physical torture every day. Worse still: homophobia is tolerated without question.
A thought for all the people who, like me, have fled their country because of their gender identity or sexual orientation, in search of a refuge. A refuge that can be a country, or a love that colours our lives pink. A refuge can also be an inclusive choir that welcomes the diversity of all genders and backgrounds, like Sing Out Brussels.
To all LGBTQIA+ people in Senegal, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Morocco, Uganda, Afghanistan: from east to west, we exist, we resist.
(The personal testimonies of Sam and Luigi are published in this article with their consent.)