OUTMusic Awards Celebrated in Philly

Desiree Hines

Tonight, LGBT artists get together at Tabu to celebrate the LGBT Academy of Recording Artist’s OUTMusic Awards (6-9 p.m.). Hosted by Freddy Shelley and Greta Lotus, the event honors the best in gay and lesbian music with proceeds benefiting Sponsor a Young Person Initiative. One of the organizers, Desiree Hines, among the first classical musicians to perform at the event and also an openly transexual woman, gave G Philly the scoop on what to expect at tonight’s benefit, as well as the challenges of being an L, G, B or T musician.

How did you get involved with the OUTMusic Awards?

I am a classical pipe organist and I really connected with Diedra Meredith, the chairwoman of the board for LARA and OUTMusic. She is from New Orleans, and I am from Jackson, Miss. The founders of OUTMusic – Dan Martin and Michael Biello – live here in Philadelphia, as well.

You’re an organist?

I am indeed an organist. So even more is the honor that an instrument that is often considered to be only for church services is furthering its Renaissance as an instrument that can be fun and exciting for the concert hall visitor, too.

Why are the awards being celebrated in Philly?

The event in Philadelphia is one of the regional celebrations that leads up the the 2010 OUTMusic Awards and the 20th Anniversary Celebration of LARA. The proceeds of the events go to support the OUTMusic Foundation’s new Sponsor A Young Person Initiative. This new initiative focuses on young adults (ages 13 to 25) who are homeless or have a threat of homelessness because of their coming out as L, G, B or T. The focus is on an putting an end to this epidemic which is affecting close to two million young people.

What can people expect tonight?

So, for just $20, not only do you get an open bar featuring vodka cocktails, wine and a buffet, but you get to support an extremely worthy cause.

Why is this event important for LGBT artists?

It is not just supporting and recognizing those who are recording artists, but the event is also supporting those who are professional musicians, as well. I have the personal honor of being called by many “America’s only African-American woman classical pipe organist.” [She admits there are others.] I’m also an out transsexual woman. Add to that, I am one of the few out LGBT leaders in the field of church music. Many men in the field of organ and church music are gay, but there is this very obscure “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. Often they seem to be repressed and conduct themselves in a manner that is so professional and uptight, as to not call much attention to their sexual orientation. This is particularly because they represent the churches they work for, who often don’t know that they are gay.

So being LGBT in music can be a challenge at times?

We work in a field where it certainly can be detrimental to one’s career. But I aspire to make recordings with some of the great church choirs in America on some of the great organs in America. But, it also will be a matter of finding places that would welcome me. I have had some churches say they would never have a transsexual woman organist even present a recital in their space. Even when I was accepted into Westminster Choir College, one of the employees in admissions just could not help but tell one of the students that “OMG, the new African-American organist, the lady, she’s transsexual!” They started to talk about what I was rather than talking about my musical capabilities.

What about outside of the religious music context? Does sexual orientation really matter in music?

In the popular music scene and recording industry, there are many ways that being “out” as an LGBT person can be detrimental to your career. Take for example Chely Wright, the female country singer that just came out as lesbian. Imagine how that affected her commercial viability when young men in conservative, rural middle America found out this beautiful young woman basically had no romantic interest in men. Or my dear friend Diedra Meredith, a Billboard-charted artist who performs as Deepa Soul. When she was about to sing with Sony records, and she was open with them, they drew concern that there might be issues with that. Again, commercial viability became a concern because she is a soulful musician with mostly black and Latino audiences. Imagine what it is like to be a young black or Latino man with mad skills to rap, but then you come out as gay. With me, it is always an issure again of being a specialist in classical music, and especially church music. Concern is always about whether or not people would come to a hymn festival featuring a “transsexual pipe organist.”

So the organizations involved tonight help bring awareness to concerns about homophobia in music?

We are fighting for an equal presence in the industry and to put an end to this idea that sexual orientation and identity would supposedly be detrimental to our careers. If they support us as being equal, rather than seeing us as being different, they may help advance the causes for being equal all across the board. Through music, change can happen.