FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Paula Fraser, board chair, Metropolitan Community Foundation, ph: 415-431-9813; paulafraser@comcast.net

New Choir Forming To Protest Sit-Lie Law

August 9, 2010, San Francisco -- Driven by the City of San Francisco’s proposed Sit-Lie Law, a choir for people who are
disadvantaged or homeless is being formed in preparation for the November election. Singers of the Street - or S.O.S. -
will be directed by Dr. Kathleen McGuire, who has led the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus since 2000 and received a
KQED Local Hero award in June, 2010.

The initiative already has the support of many, including San Francisco City Supervisor Bevan Dufty, San Francisco
Police Department Sergeant Chuck Limbert, and David Waggoner – Managing Attorney at the Homeless Action Center.
Waggoner remarked: “I oppose sit/lie. I wholeheartedly embrace anything that will empower people who are homeless or
struggling, and change how people perceive those who are marginalized. To do so through the arts is especially powerful.
This is exactly the kind of project that is needed."

The Sit-Lie Law, if passed, will mandate that no one may sit or lie on a San Francisco sidewalk after 11:00 p.m. each
night. McGuire feels strongly that this law would not help the city’s homeless population. “This law is inhumane. There
are not enough beds available to accommodate the thousands of people in our city who are homeless. Where will they
sleep?” she said. “If they cannot be on the sidewalks at night, they’ll have to go to parks, which are often too cold and
unsafe, or sleep on the sidewalks during the daytime. Is this really the best solution?”

The first rehearsal of the new choir will be held on Wednesday, September 8, 2010, at 11:00 am at the Metropolitan
Community Church of San Francisco (MCCSF), located at 150 Eureka Street in the Castro neighborhood. Anyone may
sing in the choir, regardless of their economic or housing status, provided they are of legal age and arrive clean and sober
at rehearsals. A free lunch will be served at each rehearsal for those who participate.

The sponsoring organization for the S.O.S. will be the Metropolitan Community Foundation (MCF), a not-for-profit
established by the congregation of MCCSF in 1997 to provide support and resources for the most vulnerable populations
in San Francisco. “We are thrilled to be able to support S.O.S.” said Rev. Dr. Lea Brown, MCCSF Senior Minister and
Board member of MCF. “We believe in the power of music to bring healing and hope to all of us. S.O.S. has great
potential to provide community and support to those who are isolated by homelessness and economic injustice, and it will
demonstrate that we can do better to address the problems in our city than the proposed sit-lie law.”

When asked what she hopes to achieve with the choir, McGuire responded: “Music can lead to positive changes for those
who perform and for those who listen. There are groups like S.O.S. all over the world that have made a real difference
since the mid-1990s. The Choir of Hope and Inspiration in Australia impacted the way an entire country views those who
are homeless when it was featured in a documentary TV series, and the Montreal Homeless Choir disbanded after seven
years when most of its members found employment. Success is threefold: the self-esteem of each singer grows through
team building and the joy of music-making; the applause from an audience instills pride and self-respect; most
importantly, the singers provide a human and personal face of the homeless population and disadvantaged for their
audience.”

The mission of S.O.S. is succinct and says it all: to raise voices for justice, healing, and joy. The first performances of
S.O.S. are planned for late October, and will most likely, and appropriately, be held in such prominent street locales as
Union Square, outside City Hall, or the Embarcadero. For more information, visit: http://singersofthestreet.blogspot.com.

150 Eureka Street, San Francisco CA 94114 - P: 415.863.4434 F: 415.431.9813 E: admin@mccsf.org W: http://singersofthestreet.blogspot.com