The Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles visited West Ranch High School on Friday morning, spreading a message of anti-bullying and acceptance in an auditorium full of students.

The Gay Men’s Chorus performed songs they felt resonated most with their message, including “Creep” by Radiohead and “Uprising Of Love” by Melissa Etheridge. Before each song, a member from the chorus came forward to tell their personal “coming out” story, as well as coming to terms with who they were.

Jonathan Weedman, GMCLA Executive Director (left) and Dr. Joe Nadeau, GMCLA artistic director and conductor (right).

A brief anonymous question-and-answer session also followed the performances to help further the message of tolerance.

“We invite members of the chorus to come and sing, but to also talk about the LGBT experience,” ” said Jonathan Weedman the Executive Director of GMCLA, “how they came out and to really create, hopefully, more understanding, more appreciation for diversity, inclusiveness and understanding.”

The presentation was funded by local medical company Boston Scientific. Ken Mariash, a representative for Boston Scientific, was in attendance and even shared his own personal “coming out” story and how he dealt with hardships with previous employers.

“Every time we perform and reach out to the schools, there are young people who need to hear our message,” Dr. Joe Nadeau, artistic director and conductor for GMCLA, said. “Whether it’s affirming who they are as LGBT young people, empowering them to help other LGBT people…. and also helping to create a safe space for everyone to be their true authentic selves.”

Nadeau visited the school prior to the presentation and conducted a choral master class with the students. For the final song, West Ranch choral students packed the stage and sang “You Have More Friends Than You Know,” alongside the famous Los Angeles-area chorus.

Related: Gay Men’s Chorus Opens 2016 Alive Music Project Season At Saugus High

“As a public high school, we want to make sure everyone, no matter what race, what religion, what ethnicity or sexual orientation you are,” said Mark Crawford, Principal at West Ranch High School, “this is a great place to be to get your education.”

The event was brought together through GMCLA’s Alive Music Project (AMP). The program has reach over 55,000 middle school and high schools in the last 10 years. The program works closely with school Gay Straight Alliances to improve learning environments.

“In our country, there’s a climate of division, of discrimination, of hate, and of misunderstanding that we have never seen before. We have an administration in Washington that is rolling back protections for LGBT people and that does not seem to be a friend of civil rights,” Weedman stated. “So it’s important to us as community leaders, as Americans to speak our truth and to reach out and to do what we can to foster a diverse, inclusive and loving and hopeful future for our kids.”

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