Grand Ole gays.

To celebrate its 25th anniversary and promote gay visibility in those areas where it may be needed the most, the Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus of Minneapolis embarked on a five-city tour of the South in July that included a groundbreaking performance at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium, former home of the Grand Ole Opry. The Advocate spoke with the chorus's artistic director, Stan Hill.

What was the message of the Great Southern Sing-Out tour?

To diffuse stereotypes of what it means to be gay. The average person knows about gay people only through shows like Queer as Folk. Our group is made up of lawyers, doctors, and people from all walks of life. When the audience sees that, they often say, "I never realized it, but I know someone who is gay!"

Were you greeted with protests along the way?

We had protesters picketing the show in Jackson, [Miss.], but they were just Bible people wanting to save us. After the show some members were at a bar, and a big leather guy came up in tears and said, "You guys are crazy. You could have gone anywhere and made so much money, and yet you came to Jackson!" He said the concert had done more for that city's gay community than anything else in the past.

What part of a performance brings you the most satisfaction?

When the guys are onstage, they're mine; they're singing to me. There is an intimacy that happens. When you know all the guys and what they've gone through, at one point you realize that, for many of them, the music is giving them the chance to express themselves for the very first time.