International Pride Orchestra plays outside DC in rebuff to Trump snub at Kennedy Center
An event by the International Pride Orchestra this week swung from classical Gershwin favorites to choral patriotism to high drag in a rebuff to Donald Trump's takeover of the Kennedy Center and its subsequent snub of the LBGTQ+ ensemble.
The spirited celebration of WorldPride, the peripatetic biennial international festival in support of LGBTQ+ rights which kicks off this month and is taking place in Washington DC, was staged instead at the Strathmore Music Center in Maryland, just north of the capital.
Related: Four queer business owners on Pride under Trump: 'Our joy is resistance'
Sequin-clad drag queen Peaches Christ acted as host and New York drag queen Thorgy Thor played a violin solo to Beyoncé's Crazy in Love to an audience of 1,166 people.
The orchestra had hoped to play at the Kennedy Center, Washington's premier performing arts center, but shortly after returning to the White House, Donald Trump pledged on social media that there would be, in all-caps: 'No more drag shows, or other anti-American propaganda' at the public-private arts space.
The Trump administration has issued executive orders limiting transgender rights, banned transgender people from serving in the armed forces, and rescinded anti-discrimination policies for LGBTQ+ people as part of a campaign to repeal diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Michael Roest, conductor and founder of the International Pride Orchestra, a non-profit, reminded the audience that 'people don't feel safe to live and love openly'.
'That is the reason why we have this orchestra,' he said.
During the event, the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington sang American the Beautiful, and a pianist, Sara Davis Buechner, who is transgender, dazzled while leading the orchestra on grand piano in the Gershwin favorite Rhapsody in Blue.
Both Stars and Stripes and rainbow flags were hoisted at the close.
Trump in February fired the leadership of the Kennedy Center, named himself chair and put a loyalist in charge.
The center then sent Roest a message that said: 'We are not in a position at this time to advance a contract,' according to an email chain seen by Reuters, after months of prior negotiations. Considering themselves 'disinvited', event organizers began looking for alternative venues and the Strathmore offered its space, an orchestra spokesperson said.
A Kennedy Center spokesperson referred Reuters to an X post from leadership saying it had not actually canceled any shows.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Wanda Sykes Urges Hollywood to ‘Protect Our Trans Brothers and Sisters' at Critics Choice LGBTQ+ Celebration: ‘That's Our Next Movement'
Comedian Wanda Sykes has a rallying cry for the entertainment industry and beyond: 'Protect our trans brothers and sisters… that's our next movement.' Sykes, who was honored with the Career Achievement Award Tuesday at the Critics Choice Association's 2nd Annual Celebration of LGBTQ+ Cinema & Television, said, 'I believe that's what our community does, we take care of each other… I know that love is stronger than hate… We gotta be prouder, we gotta be louder.' More from Variety Chad Stahelski on the 'John Wick' Franchise's Insane Body Count and Keanu Reeves' Fifth Movie: 'Still Working on It' Chuck Lorre Family Foundation Donates $350,000 to Van Ness Recovery House (EXCLUSIVE) 'Ballerina' Star Ana de Armas Says Tom Cruise 'Supports Every Movie' and 'Really Wants' Audiences to 'Go to the Theaters': 'We Are Working Together' The celebration honored achievements from LGBTQ+ creators and talent within the entertainment industry, showcasing emerging and established talent. Sykes, who is currently on the European leg of her 'Wanda Sykes Please and Thank You' tour, flew in for the event. Accepting the award from 'Wanda Does It' co-star Tim Bagley, Sykes said, 'I can't think of a community that's more loving than who we are. We are just trying to love and exist, and then when you have people from the outside that's attacking you for that, I think that's what makes us stronger.' She added, 'Any adversity makes you stronger, and that's who we are.' Other honorees from the night included Bowen Yang (Comedy Award; 'Saturday Night Live'), Bridget Everett (Ensemble Award; 'Somebody Somewhere'), Eric d'Arbeloff (Industry Leadership Award; Co-President of Roadside Attractions), the Queens of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' (Reality TV Award; 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 17), Niecy Nash-Betts (Groundbreaker Award; 'Grotesquerie') and Tramell Tillman (Supporting Performance Award – Drama Series; 'Severance'). Nash-Betts praised the LGBTQ+ community for its support. She said, 'When I was five years old, I said, 'I want to be Black, fabulous and on TV…' and here we are. I want to thank the Critics Choice Association for seeing me, not just for what I play on screen, but for who I am when the cameras stop rolling. You keep going, not for the applause – but for the impact.' She concluded her speech by urging the audience to 'keep breaking ground together until there's not one closet left to hide in.' Yang, who was honored with the Comedy Award, praised his fellow honorees and said, 'While I'm very honored to be receiving this, I do think a Comedy Award is the closest thing that queer people have to a participation trophy. We're all funny. I mean, I've never met a non-funny queer person. It's the way that we relate to each other in a world that's inhospitable at times.' The event took place at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Century City and was hosted by Sherry Cola. Best of Variety 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Animated Program — Can Netflix Score Big With 'Arcane,' 'Devil May Cry' and the Final Season of 'Big Mouth?'
Los Angeles Times
24 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Judge: Trump administration can dismantle Institute of Museum and Library Services
WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Friday denied a request by the American Library Assn. to halt the Trump administration's further dismantling of an agency that funds and promotes libraries across the country, saying that recent court decisions suggested his court lacked jurisdiction to hear the matter. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon had previously agreed to temporarily block the Republican administration, saying that plaintiffs were likely to show that Trump doesn't have the legal authority to unilaterally shutter the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which was created by Congress. But in Friday's ruling, Leon wrote that as much as the 'Court laments the Executive Branch's efforts to cut off this lifeline for libraries and museums,' recent court decisions suggested that the case should be heard in a separate court dedicated to contractual claims. He cited the Supreme Court's decision allowing the administration to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in teacher-training money despite a lower court order barring the cuts, saying that cases seeking reinstatement of federal grants should be heard in the Court of Federal Claims. The American Library Assn. and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees filed a lawsuit to stop the administration from gutting the institute after President Trump signed a March 14 executive order that refers to it and several other federal agencies as 'unnecessary.' The agency's appointed acting director then placed many staff members on administrative leave, sent termination notices to most of them, began canceling grants and contracts and fired all members of the National Museum and Library Services Board. The institute has roughly 75 employees and issued more than $266 million in grants last year. However, a Rhode Island judge's order prohibiting the government from shutting down the institute in a separate case brought by several states remains in place. The administration is appealing that order as well.
New York Post
24 minutes ago
- New York Post
Trump says Elon Musk will face ‘very serious consequences' if he funds Dems in future elections
WASHINGTON — President Trump warned Saturday that his former ally Elon Musk will face 'very serious consequences' if he starts bankrolling Democratic candidates for office after their nasty public split over a Republican spending bill working its way through Congress. 'If he does, he'll have to pay the consequences for that,' Trump told NBC News' Kristin Welker in an interview. 'He'll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that,' the president added. Advertisement 3 Musk and Trump have been feuding after the Tesla CEO spoke out on the president's 'big beautiful' bill. AP 'Is there anything else you just want people to know about the status,' Welker asked. 'No, not at all. We're doing great,' Trump replied. 'The bill is great. It looks like we're going to get it passed. Looks strongly like we're going to get it passed.' Advertisement 3 Musk was part of cabinet meetings during the first few months of Trump's second term. Molly Riley/White House / SWNS Musk knocked Trump during a multi-day X tirade over the debt increases contained in the 'big beautiful bill' earlier this week and said without his hundreds of millions of dollars in contributions, the president would never have been re-elected in 2024. Here is the latest on Donald Trump and Elon Musk's feud He also claimed credit for delivering the GOP a 53-47 majority in the Senate — and holding onto its majority in the House. Advertisement 3 Trump has hit back at Musk's comments in the ongoing feud. The Tesla and SpaceX billionaire contributed more than a quarter of a billion dollars to Republican candidates in the 2024 cycle, federal campaign filings show.
