The Denver Women’s Chorus has changed their name to the Denver Feminist Chorus according to a press release from earlier this week.
“As we looked at our evolving chorus family over the past several years, we noticed that the descriptor ‘women’ is inadequate to describe the diverse identities present in our chorus,” wrote Dr. Clelyn Chapin, artistic director of the chorus.
The Denver Feminist Chorus has been a part of the queer community since 1984, when it was started by Carol White, a lesbian who was outed and fired from her work. White approached the Denver Gay Men’s Chorus to propose singing alongside them at an upcoming gay and lesbian festival. Over 70 women chose to join, and since then, it has been a “safe place for its members and an outlet for musical expression.”
The name change comes on the 40-year anniversary of their founding as the group, and mainstream queer landscape, have grown to become trans and nonbinary inclusive.
In their early days of performing, most members of the Denver Feminist Chorus did not publicly place their names on programs for fear of being outed. However, they continued to travel around the United States, sing at LGBTQ+ rallies, and advocate for themselves and other women. They have since collaborated with nonprofits such as OneColorado, Safehouse Denver, and Mile High Freedom band, according to their website.
“Since 1984, DWC has been a space for the LGBTQAI+ community and allies to raise their voices for visibility for the queer community, equal rights for women, bodily autonomy, voting equality, and many other social justice causes,” writes Dr. Chapin.
The original chorus name was created with the intention of including not only lesbians, but allies within the community. Today, the chorus contains 130 singers identifying as queer or as allies.
“The Denver Feminist Chorus name reflects our diverse identities, further identifies our values, while still maintaining our roots and mission,” writes Chapin.
Photo courtesy of Denver Feminist Chorus.
