Organizers and artists are scrambling to find new venues after the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts abruptly canceled a week’s worth of events celebrating LGBTQ+ rights tied to this summer’s World Pride festival in Washington, D.C.
The decision follows a sweeping leadership overhaul at one of America’s premier cultural institutions, led by President Donald Trump, and has ignited backlash across the LGBTQ+ community.
Newsweek has reached out to the Kennedy Center via email on Friday night for comment.
Why It Matters
The cancellations come amid major upheaval. In early February, President Trump fired both the Kennedy Center’s president and chairman, replacing most of the board with political loyalists who then elected him the center’s new chairman. The shift has fueled concerns over how LGBTQ+ communities would be represented at the Kennedy Center, particularly given the administration’s policies on transgender rights and Trump’s public criticism of drag performances at the center.
What to Know
Multiple artists and producers told The Associated Press that events scheduled under the center’s “Tapestry of Pride” programming, set for June 5–8, were either quietly canceled or moved elsewhere. As a result, Washington’s Capital Pride Alliance has officially severed its ties with 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 celebration … but the fact that we have to maneuver in this way is disappointing.”
Although the Kennedy Center’s website still lists “Tapestry of Pride” with a vague description and a link to the broader World Pride site, it provides no detailed event information.
“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. Roest said his group’s June 5 performance at the Kennedy Center was canceled just days after Trump’s takeover.
Roest had been finalizing the concert after months of planning, only to be met with silence. On February 12, he received a brief email: “We are no longer able to advance your contract at this time.” Reflecting on the abrupt turnaround, Roest said, “They went from very eager to host to nothing. We have not since heard a word from anybody at the Kennedy Center, but that’s not going to stop us.”
Monica Alford, a veteran event planner who worked closely with the Kennedy Center, also experienced a sudden halt in communication. Alford, who organized the first-ever rooftop drag brunch at the Kennedy Center in 2024, was planning a family-friendly event for June 8. She described the Kennedy Center and its expansion, The Reach, as “my home base” and “a safe space for the queer community.”
Alford mourned the loss of that relationship. “We’re doing our community a disservice — not just the queer community but the entire community,” she said.
In February, the Kennedy Center canceled a concert featuring the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C.
What People Are Saying
Roest said the International Pride Orchestra would no longer consider performing at the Kennedy Center without significant changes, “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.”
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on February 7, “At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., GREAT AGAIN. I have decided to immediately terminate multiple individuals from the Board of Trustees, including the Chairman, who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture.”
He added: “The Kennedy Center is an American Jewel, and must reflect the brightest STARS on its stage from all across our Nation. For the Kennedy Center, THE BEST IS YET TO COME!”
What Happens Next
Roest’s orchestra has since relocated its performance to the Strathmore theater in Bethesda, Maryland. Other events, such as a drag story time and a display of panels from the AIDS Memorial Quilt, are also being relocated, Crenshaw said, now set to take place at World Pride’s welcome center in Chinatown.
Reporting by the Associated Press contributed to this story.
Update: 4/25/25, 7:07 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and remarks.
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