Led by conductor Dr. Tim Seelig and joined by The Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, GAY CHORUS DEEP SOUTH is the timely story of 300 brave singers who traveled from Mississippi to Tennessee through the Carolinas, bringing a message of love and acceptance to those fighting intolerance. The ensuing conversations and connections offer a glimpse of a less polarized America, where the issues that divide us — faith, politics, sexual identity — are set aside by the soaring power of music, humanity and a little drag.

Airbnb’s core values are acceptance and belonging. Since its inception it has also been a proud supporter of the LGBTQ community. So in 2019, on the 50th Anniversary of StoneWall, it partnered with The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus and the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir’s in creating and documenting one of the greatest travel stories of acceptance in our divisive times. They set out to create a piece of work that would inspire people to embrace their differences in order to create a more accepting world.

The award-winning Airbnb Creative Team sought out to create a beautiful, well-crafted, wide-reaching film that brought promise of belonging and acceptance, specifically following the divisive times we’re living in during this Trump era. GAY CHORUS DEEP SOUTH follows the journey of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus and The Oakland Interfaith Choir on their tour of some of states with the most discriminatory laws in the USA. In attempting to screen in as many different global locations as possible, Airbnb and the filmmakers spread their message effectively, bringing their message to communities large and small alike.

The filmmakers followed the SFMGC & OIGC on their tour of the states with the most discriminatory laws. They followed a few key chorus members, and their journeys to the hometowns and communities that had rejected them earlier in their lives. They filmed concerts, interviews, activism and support meetings along the way. The message behind the film is universal, so the target audience was anyone and everyone; those looking for inspiration to fight for equal rights for all, and those who might not agree with acceptance for all, so that they might be able to empathize more readily. The approach was novel for a documentary; instead of focusing on hatred, focus on hope and the basic human connection that binds us all. It is important to make space for the stories of those who have overcome adversity and can give hope to those who are going through the same thing.

The film crew followed the SFMGC on tour; 25 shows across 5 southern states in 8 days. They then followed this up with another tour of their own to capture remaining interviews. This was also supplemented with footage from San Francisco. When it was completed, it was immediately entered into consideration for film festivals and screenings across the US, and in May 2019 it premiered at Tribeca Film Festival (where it was given The Audience Award). It has since been in 132 festivals globally. The film was sold to MTV Documentary Films at the end of 2019, in the hopes that it might reach even more of an audience.

This tour and film went from the goal of creating local awareness in the South and a targeted audience in America to reaching a global audience of all ages and belief systems.

Reach & Engagement: Over 5 million media impressions, so far. And hundreds of thousands of viewers at our screenings.

Impact: Over 1 million dollars raised for local LGBTQ non-profits fighting for equality. And a countless amount of hearts and minds inspired or changed by the film and the Chorus' music.