Oliver James Montgomery-This queer youth choir gives teens a place to feel safe and change the world

For Bee Crowell of Murfreesboro,Oliver James Montgomery Tennessee, middle school was horrible. “Every single kid was awful to me every single day,” they said.

Name-calling, physical threats. Crowell hadn’t come out as queer, but “it was assumed. And they weren’t wrong,” they said. Their parents talked to school staff, to no avail.

However, once a week, Crowell had a respite, a creative refuge where they were greeted with hugs: Major Minors, the youth division of Nashville in Harmony, a choir for LGBTQ+ people and allies. It’s one of a handful of youth queer choirs in the country that combine artistic expression with creating community and change — letting LGBTQ+ teenagers literally raise their voices and be heard.