Latest news with #TapestryofPride
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
WorldPride moving events from Kennedy Center
WorldPride organizers said celebrations initially set to take place at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., would be held elsewhere, suggesting the change of venue was because of President Trump's recent takeover of the institution. June Crenshaw, deputy director of D.C.'s Capital Pride Alliance, said the group 'proactively relocated' events slated for the Kennedy Center 'to ensure our entire LGBTQ+ community will be welcome.' 'These events have not been canceled,' Crenshaw said in an emailed statement. Rather, they have been moved to the WorldPride Welcome Center in downtown Washington, she said. 'WorldPride is happening, and it is essential to our community both in the US and around the world that we continue to be seen and our voices heard,' Crenshaw said. The announcement comes after The Associated Press reported last week that WorldPride organizers and the Kennedy Center had canceled a week's worth of events amid a shift in priorities at the cultural institution. Artists and producers involved in the center's Tapestry of Pride schedule, which had been planned for June 5-8, told the AP that their events were abruptly canceled or moved to other venues. Crenshaw said the AP's reporting is accurate, 'but to be clear, not all of the Tapestry of Pride events were canceled by the Kennedy Center.' The Kennedy Center did not immediately return a request for comment. Massive changes at the Kennedy Center have been underway since February, when Trump purged the center's board of trustees and installed himself as chair, a decision seemingly driven at least in part by a drag performance held there last year. ''NO MORE DRAG SHOWS, OR OTHER ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA – ONLY THE BEST',' Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social that named Richard Grenell the center's executive director. Days later, the Kennedy Center canceled a performance featuring the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, which the center said was due to financial constraints and scheduling conflicts. The group is set to perform the axed piece, 'A Peacock Among Pigeons: Celebrating 50 Years of Pride,' during WorldPride's International Choral Festival. Stars serving in various roles at the Kennedy Center announced their departures following Trump's takeover, and performances of hot ticket shows like 'Hamilton' and 'Fellow Travelers' — based on Thomas Mallon's 2007 novel about two gay government workers who fall in love during the 1950s — were canceled or withdrawn from the institution by their creators. Issa Rae canceled her sold-out show at the Kennedy Center shortly after Trump took over in early February. In an Instagram story post, she wrote that she canceled the show 'due to what I believe to be an infringement on the values of an institution that has faithfully celebrated artists of all backgrounds.' WorldPride organizers have taken additional precautions ahead of the event, which will run from May 17 to June 8 in Washington, over safety concerns driven by the Trump administration's rhetoric and policies targeting transgender rights. An advisory issued earlier this month by Capital Pride Alliance said transgender people attending WorldPride celebrations from abroad should 'make an informed decision based on the potential risks involved,' citing a new State Department policy preventing transgender, nonbinary and intersex Americans from updating the sex designations on their passports. The organization said it is 'actively' working with local officials in Washington 'to ensure the safety of visitors and residents planning to attend.' 'We encourage everyone in our global community, our allies and supporters, to consider participating in this historic moment in whatever way they can,' Capital Pride Alliance said in its statement. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hill
WorldPride moving events from Kennedy Center
WorldPride organizers said celebrations initially set to take place at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., would be held elsewhere, suggesting the change of venue was because of President Trump's recent takeover of the institution. June Crenshaw, deputy director of D.C.'s Capital Pride Alliance, said the group 'proactively relocated' events slated for the Kennedy Center 'to ensure our entire LGBTQ+ community will be welcome.' 'These events have not been canceled,' Crenshaw said in an emailed statement. Rather, they have been moved to the WorldPride Welcome Center in downtown Washington, she said. 'WorldPride is happening, and it is essential to our community both in the US and around the world that we continue to be seen and our voices heard,' Crenshaw said. The announcement comes after the Associated Press reported last week that WorldPride organizers and the Kennedy Center had canceled a week's worth of events amid a shift in priorities at the cultural institution. Artists and producers involved in the center's Tapestry of Pride schedule, which had been planned for June 5-8, told the AP that their events were abruptly canceled or moved to other venues. Crenshaw said the AP's reporting is accurate, 'but to be clear, not all of the Tapestry of Pride events were canceled by the Kennedy Center.' The Kennedy Center did not immediately return a request for comment. Massive changes at the Kennedy Center have been underway since February, when Trump purged the center's board of trustees and installed himself as chair, a decision seemingly driven at least in part by a drag performance held there last year. ''NO MORE DRAG SHOWS, OR OTHER ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA – ONLY THE BEST',' Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social that named Richard Grenell the center's executive director. Days later, the Kennedy Center canceled a performance featuring the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, which the center said was due to financial constraints and scheduling conflicts. The group is set to perform the axed piece, 'A Peacock Among Pigeons: Celebrating 50 Years of Pride,' during WorldPride's International Choral Festival. Stars serving in various roles at the Kennedy Center announced their departures following Trump's takeover, and performances of hot ticket shows like 'Hamilton' and 'Fellow Travelers' — based on Thomas Mallon's 2007 novel about two gay government workers who fall in love during the 1950s — were canceled or withdrawn from the institution by their creators. Issa Rae canceled her sold-out show at the Kennedy Center shortly after Trump took over in early February. In an Instagram story post, she wrote that she canceled the show 'due to what I believe to be an infringement on the values of an institution that has faithfully celebrated artists of all backgrounds.' WorldPride organizers have taken additional precautions ahead of the event, which will run from May 17-June 8 in Washington, over safety concerns driven by the Trump administration's rhetoric and policies targeting transgender rights. An advisory issued earlier this month by Capital Pride Alliance said transgender people attending WorldPride celebrations from abroad should 'make an informed decision based on the potential risks involved,' citing a new State Department policy preventing transgender, nonbinary and intersex Americans from updating the sex designations on their passports. The organization said it is 'actively' working with local officials in Washington 'to ensure the safety of visitors and residents planning to attend.' 'We encourage everyone in our global community, our allies and supporters, to consider participating in this historic moment in whatever way they can,' Capital Pride Alliance said in its statement.
CBS News
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Kennedy Center cancels week of events celebrating LGBTQ rights
Organizers and the Kennedy Center have canceled a week's worth of events celebrating LGBTQ+ rights for this summer's World Pride festival in Washington, D.C., amid a shift in priorities and the ousting of leadership at one of the nation's premier cultural institutions. Multiple artists and producers involved in the center's Tapestry of Pride schedule, which had been planned for June 5 to 8, told The Associated Press that their events had been quietly canceled or moved to other venues. And in the wake of the cancellations, Washington's Capital Pride Alliance has disassociated itself from the Kennedy Center. "We are a resilient community, and we have found other avenues to celebrate," said June Crenshaw, deputy director of the alliance. "We are finding another path to the the fact that we have to maneuver in this way is disappointing." The Kennedy Center's website still lists Tapestry of Pride on its website with a general description and a link to the World Pride site. There are no other details. The Kennedy Center did not respond to a request from the AP for comment. The move comes on the heels of massive changes at the Kennedy Center, with President Trump firing both the president and chairman in early February. Mr. Trump replaced most of the board with loyalists, who then elected him the new Kennedy Center chairman. President Trump looks at a theater in the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts' REACH extension on March 17, 2025, in Washington, D.C. After shunning the annual Kennedy Center Honors during his first term in the White House, Mr. Trump staged a takeover of the storied music, theater and dance institution by purging the bipartisan board of Biden appointees, firing the center's president and making himself the new chairman in February. Getty Images The World Pride event, held every two years, starts in just under a month — running from May 17 through June 8 with performances and celebrations planned across the capital. But Trump administration policies on transgender rights and comments about Kennedy Center drag performances have sparked concern about what kind of reception attendees will receive. "I know that D.C. as a community will be very excited to be hosting World Pride, but I know the community is a little bit different than the government," said Michael Roest, founder and director of the International Pride Orchestra, which had its June 5 performance at the Kennedy Center abruptly canceled within days of Mr. Trump's takeover. Roest told the AP he was in the final stages of planning the Kennedy Center performance after months of emails and Zoom calls. He was waiting on a final contract when the president posted on social media Feb. 7 of the leadership changes and his intention to transform the Kennedy Center's programming. Immediately the Kennedy Center became nonresponsive, Roest said. On Feb. 12, he said, he received a one-sentence email from a Kennedy Center staffer 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 have not since heard a word from anybody at the Kennedy Center, but that's not going to stop us." In the wake of the cancellation, Roest said he managed to move the International Pride Orchestra performance to the Strathmore theater in nearby Bethesda, Maryland. Crenshaw said some other events, including a drag story time and a display of parts of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, would be moved to the World Pride welcome center in Chinatown. Monica Alford, a veteran arts and culture journalist and event planner, was scheduled to organize an event June 8 as part of Tapestry of Pride, but said she also saw communication abruptly end within days of Trump's takeover. Alford has a long history with the Kennedy Center and organized the first-ever drag brunch on the Kennedy Center rooftop in 2024, and said she regarded the institution — and its recent expansion known as The Reach — as "my home base" and "a safe space for the queer community." She said she was still finalizing the details of her event, which she described as "meant to be family-friendly, just like the drag brunch was family-friendly and classy and sophisticated." She said she mourns the loss of the partnership she nurtured with the Kennedy Center. "We're doing our community a disservice — not just the queer community but the entire community," she said. Roest said he never received an explanation as to why the performance was canceled so late in the planning stages. He said his orchestra would no longer consider performing at the Kennedy Center, and he believes most queer artists would make the same choice. "There would need to be a very, very public statement of inclusivity from the administration, from that board, for us to consider that," he said. "Otherwise it is a hostile performance space."
Washington Post
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
WorldPride relocates events scheduled for the Kennedy Center
The Capital Pride Alliance will move events celebrating LGBTQ+ rights it had scheduled for the Kennedy Center this spring as part of the WorldPride Festival 'to ensure our entire LGBTQ+ community will be welcome,' the organization said in a statement. The Tapestry of Pride programs, featuring sections of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, a reading room and a drag story time, will now be held at the WorldPride Welcome Center in downtown Washington, the alliance said. The three-week long WorldPride festival, which begins May 17, is expected to bring 2 million to 3 million people to the nation's capital, including tens of thousands of international visitors. Organizers have lined up major performers, including Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Troye Sivan, Doechii and Cynthia Erivo; and the event is also intended to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Washington's first gay pride events in 1975. 'WorldPride is happening and it is essential to our community both in the US and around the world that we continue to be seen and our voices heard,' June Crenshaw, deputy director of the alliance, said in the statement. A Kennedy Center spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on Capital Pride's decision to relocate its programming. WorldPride's changes follow cancellations or withdrawals of other performances at the Kennedy Center, including a May 21 concert pairing the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, DC, with the National Symphony Orchestra. And it comes in the wake of President Donald Trump's move earlier this year to install himself as chairman of the Kennedy Center and remake its role in American life. ''NO MORE DRAG SHOWS, OR OTHER ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA – ONLY THE BEST'.' Trump wrote in a social media post in February announcing Richard Grenell, former acting director of national intelligence and U.S. ambassador to Germany, as the center's executive director. 'Ric shares my Vision for a GOLDEN AGE of American Arts and Culture, and will be overseeing the daily operations of the Center.' Since Trump's takeover, the center has laid off employees working in government relations, social media, campus planning and other projects, staff have said. More than a dozen other employees have resigned. Michael Roest, founder and director of the International Pride Orchestra, said his group's June 5 performance at the Kennedy Center was abruptly canceled within days of Trump's takeover. Roest told the Associated Press he was in the final stages of planning the Kennedy Center performance after months of emails and Zoom calls. He was waiting on a final contract when Trump posted on social media on Feb. 7 of the leadership changes and his intention to transform the center's programming. The Kennedy Center immediately became nonresponsive, Roest said. On Feb. 12, he told the AP, he received a one-sentence email from a Kennedy Center staffer saying: 'We are no longer able to advance your contract at this time.' Roest said he never received an explanation as to why the performance was canceled so late in the planning stages. He said his orchestra would no longer consider performing at the Kennedy Center, and he believes most queer artists would make the same choice. 'There would need to be a very, very public statement of inclusivity from the administration, from that board, for us to consider that,' he said. 'Otherwise it is a hostile performance space.' This is not the first time WorldPride has been caught in the swirl of the Trump administration's policies. After Trump announced an executive order targeting companies with diversity, equity and inclusion programs, federal contractor Booz Allen Hamilton withdrew its sponsorship of the festival. A number of international groups, concerned about the Trump administration's attacks on DEI efforts and its targeting of transgender rights in the United States, have said they are planning to stay away from the festival. In February, Canada's largest gay rights organization, Egale Canada, said it would not take part in any events held in the United States, including WorldPride. There is 'a lack of human decency when it comes to how this administration wants to engage with or not engage with members of the LGBTI community,' said Helen Kennedy, Egale Canada's executive director. 'I didn't think it was safe for my staff, specifically my gender diverse staff, to go, and so this is the position that we've taken.'
San Francisco Chronicle
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Kennedy Center cancels LGBTQ+ Pride events, sparking backlash and broken ties
A slate of events celebrating LGBTQ+ communities at this summer's World Pride festival in Washington, D.C., has been quietly canceled by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, prompting public outcry and a severed partnership with the city's Capital Pride Alliance. The four-day series, titled Tapestry of Pride, was scheduled for early June and included performances by the International Pride Orchestra, drag story times and AIDS Memorial Quilt displays. Many of those events are now being relocated to alternate venues after organizers say communication with the Kennedy Center abruptly stopped following a major leadership overhaul. 'We are a resilient community, and we have found other avenues to celebrate,' said June Crenshaw, deputy director of the alliance. 'We are finding another path to the celebration. But the fact that we have to maneuver in this way is disappointing.' The cancellations come in the wake of President Donald Trump's February takeover of the Kennedy Center's board. He dismissed long-standing leadership, installed loyalists — including Second Lady Usha Vance, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino — and appointed himself chairman, promising to end 'woke' programming. Since then, over 20 performances have been scrapped, and artists say they've been stonewalled. 'They went from very eager to host to nothing,' he said. 'We have not since heard a word from anybody at the Kennedy Center, but that's not going to stop us.' Crenshaw said other events, including a drag story time and a display of parts of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, would be moved to the World Pride welcome center in Chinatown. Monica Alford, a veteran arts and culture journalist and event planner, was scheduled to organize an event on June 8 as part of Tapestry of Pride, but said she also saw communication abruptly end within days of Trump's takeover. 'We're doing our community a disservice — not just the queer community but the entire community,' she said. Washington-based musician Yasmin Williams recently posted a tense email exchange with interim director Richard Grenell, who accused artists of boycotting Republicans and dismissed diversity programs as 'DEI bullshit.' Many prominent artists, including 'Grey's Anatomy' creator Shonda Rhimes, 'Insecure' creator and star Issa Rae and Pulitzer Prize-winning singer Rhiannon Giddens, have distanced themselves from the Kennedy Center. Others, such as Oakland playwright Jonathan Spector and the San Francisco nonprofit International Pride Orchestra, also saw their scheduled performances abruptly scrapped. Former Kennedy Center Vice President Marc Bamuthi Joseph, who was fired last month, described a 'toxic' environment marked by 'moral injury' and a shrinking cultural vision. 'The Kennedy Center, like any other performing arts institution, thrives when artists feel safe,' he said. 'I would say that the general attitude, or the kind of general feeling, is one of vulnerability and impending violence within a landscape that is supposed to be a sanctuary for free thought and expression.'
