Queer Celebrations Shift Away from Kennedy Center for World Pride 2025
Trump's Kennedy Center takeover forces World Pride event organizers to relocate venues
Get ready for Washington, D.C.'s World Pride festivities in May and June 2025, as several LGBTQ+ events have been pushed off the Kennedy Center stage.
Affected events include an International Pride Orchestra concert, a drag story hour, and art exhibits, including one showcasing AIDS Memorial Quilt panels.
Initially breaking the story, Associated Press reported on these changes.
Organizers explained that some events were relocated after the Kennedy Center refused to sign contracts for them, whereas others were moved preemptively following President Donald Trump's abrupt firing of several Kennedy Center Board of Trustees members in February 2025, making him the chairman.
In a Trump-penned Truth Social post, he vowed, "No more drag shows at the Kennedy Center – THIS WILL STOP." This declaration was the harbinger of changes for many LGBTQ+ gatherings scheduled at the Kennedy Center.
Ryan Bos, executive director of Capital Pride Alliance, a primary organizer of World Pride, echoed the sentiment, stating that Trump's statement was the writing on the wall that motivated them to find alternative venues.
Now, Capital Pride's programming will take place at its World Pride Welcome Center downtown and the International Pride Orchestra’s Pride Celebration concert at Strathmore in Bethesda, Maryland.
The orchestra's leaders received an email on February 12, 2025, informing them that their concert would not be taking place at the Kennedy Center.
As for other planned events, the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, D.C., and the National Symphony Orchestra were told that an event slated for May 2025 would not proceed at the Kennedy Center.
The Kennedy Center has yet to respond to NBC News' request for comment on this matter.
In a statement, Michael Roest, the founding artistic director of International Pride Orchestra, expressed disappointment that his group wouldn't perform at the Kennedy Center during World Pride 2025. Roest also expressed gratitude to Strathmore for offering its concert venue.
Bos concurred with Roest's sentiment, asserting the importance of moving forward with World Pride 2025, especially in D.C., as the nation's capital celebrates 50 years of hosting annual Pride celebrations.
"World Pride 2025 will not be cancelled," Bos emphasized, adding, "We must meet this year's celebrations – more so than ever – to ensure our community doesn't retreat back into the closet."
Overall, the relocation of LGBTQ+ pride events from the Kennedy Center in 2025 was a proactive measure by organizers to maintain a welcoming environment, following concerns raised by President Trump's stance on cultural programming at the center.
- Organizers, such as the Capital Pride Alliance, have decided to relocate various events for World Pride 2025 due to the Kennedy Center's refusal to sign contracts.
- Some LGBTQ+ events, including the International Pride Orchestra concert and art exhibits, were moved from the Kennedy Center to the World Pride Welcome Center downtown and Strathmore in Bethesda, Maryland.
- Trump's statement about ending drag shows at the Kennedy Center and his subsequent firing of Kennedy Center Board of Trustees members seemed to be the motivation for the event relocation.
- Even in the face of political opposition, organizers such as Ryan Bos, the executive director of Capital Pride Alliance, and Michael Roest, the founding artistic director of International Pride Orchestra, are determined to ensure that World Pride 2025 takes place, emphasizing the importance of creating a safe and welcoming environment for the LGBTQ+ community.
