LGBTQ+ Pride festivities scheduled at Kennedy Center have been called off, according to organizers.
LGBTQ+ Celebrations at the Kennedy Center: Cancellations and Moving Forward
Washingtontown – After a shakeup in leadership at one of the nation's foremost cultural institutions, the Kennedy Center, several events celebrating LGBTQ+ rights were abruptly cancelled from this summer’s World Pride festival in Washington.
Multiple artists and event producers involved in the center’s Tapestry of Pride schedule, supposed to run from June 5-8, confirmed to the Associated Press that their events had either been cancelled or moved to other venues. As a result, Washington's Capital Pride Alliance has distanced itself from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
"We're a resilient community, and we've found other methods to celebrate," said June Crenshaw, the deputy director of the alliance. "We're finding a new way to the celebration, but the fact we must navigate this way is disappointing."
The Kennedy Center’s website still shows Tapestry of Pride but with scant details.
The Kennedy Center did not reply to the AP’s request for comment.
The leadership changes at the center occurred when President Trump dismissed the president and chairman in early February. Trump then filled the board with loyalists who elected him as the new Kennedy Center chairman.
The World Pride event takes place every two years and is scheduled to run from May 17 to June 8, with numerous performances and celebrations planned across the capital city. However, concerns have arisen due to Trump administration policies restricting transgender rights and previous comments about Kennedy Center drag performances.
Michael Roest, founder and director of the International Pride Orchestra, whose June 5 performance at the Kennedy Center was suddenly cancelled just days after Trump’s takeover, voiced his concerns.
Roest had been planning the Kennedy Center performance for months via emails and Zoom calls when Trump posted on social media announcing the leadership changes and his intention to change the center’s programming. Immediately after, the center became unresponsive, and on February 12, Roest received a one-sentence email stating, "We are no longer able to advance your contract at this time."
"They went from very eager to host to nothing," he said. "We haven’t heard from anyone at the Kennedy Center since, but that isn't stopping us."
Artistic events weren’t the only casualties – some, like a drag storytime and an AIDS Memorial Quilt display, will move to the World Pride welcome center in Washington’s Chinatown. Monica Alford, an arts and culture journalist and event planner, who was to organize an event on June 8 as a part of Tapestry of Pride, also experienced a sudden halt in communication.
Alford, who organized the first-ever drag brunch on the center’s rooftop last year, regarded the Kennedy Center as “my home base" and "a safe space for the queer community." She described her event as “intended to be family-friendly, just like the drag brunch was family-friendly, classy, and sophisticated.” She bemoans the loss of her partnership with the Kennedy Center.
Roest never received an explanation for the performance cancellation so late in the planning stages. He stated that the International Pride Orchestra would no longer perform at the Kennedy Center, and he believes that most queer artists would share his stand.
"There must be a very, very public statement of inclusivity from the administration and that board for us to consider performing again," he said. "Otherwise, it would be a hostile performance space."
In response to the cancellations, the LGBTQ+ community is adapting and finding new ways to celebrate World Pride in Washington, D.C.
Sources:
1. "Post-Trump purge, can the Kennedy Center save itself? How Mark Morris showed the way," The Washington Post
2. "Kennedy Center contract employee strips nude in protest video and is promptly fired," The Washington Post
3. "In first Kennedy Center visit, Trump slams 'Hamilton' and lauds other 'Broadway hits'," The Hill
- The cancellations of LGBTQ+ events at the Kennedy Center have led to a distancing between the institution and the Capital Pride Alliance, as the community seeks alternative venues to celebrate.
- The Kennedy Center's website still lists Tapestry of Pride, but with minimal details, reflecting the scant information provided regarding the upcoming events.
- President Trump's dismissal of the Kennedy Center's leadership and subsequent appointment of loyalists has sparked concerns among the LGBTQ+ community and artists, leading to event cancellations and a lack of communication.
- Some events, such as a drag storytime and an AIDS Memorial Quilt display, will now move to the World Pride welcome center in Washington's Chinatown, as the Kennedy Center's culture and inclusivity have been called into question.
- The Kennedy Center's lack of response and nonresponsiveness to artists and event producers after Trump's takeover has been a source of frustration, with performers like Michael Roest expressing disappointment in the silence and the perceived hostility towards the queer community.
- The recent leadership changes at the Kennedy Center have generated a need for a public statement of inclusivity from the administration and the new board, in order to regain the trust of the LGBTQ+ community and attract artistic events as part of the World Pride celebrations.
