LGBTQ+ Pride Events Canceled at Kennedy Center Amid Trump Turmoil, Organizers Seek ‘Other Avenues to Celebrate’

The Kennedy Center and organizers canceled a slew of Pride events scheduled this summer to celebrate LGTBQ+ rights during the WorldPride festival in Washington, D.C.

The Associated Press reported Friday “multiple” involved parties, including artists and producers, confirmed “their events had been quietly canceled or moved to other venues.”

“We are a resilient community, and we have found other avenues to celebrate,” June Crenshaw, deputy director of Washington’s Capital Pride Alliance, which chose to disassociate its events from the Center, said. “We are finding another path to the celebration … but the fact that we have to maneuver in this way is disappointing.”

Representatives for the Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.

The events were part of a week-long Tapestry of Pride celebration, described on the center’s website as “a celebration of diversity and unity, weaving together performances, exhibitions, and experiences for all ages.”

The decision to cancel the events came weeks after Donald Trump fired several board members and named himself chairman of the Kennedy Center.

“Throughout our history, the Kennedy Center has enjoyed strong support from members of Congress and their staffs—Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. Since our doors opened in 1971, we have had a collaborative relationship with every presidential administration. Since that time, the Kennedy Center has had a bi-partisan board of trustees that has supported the arts in a non-partisan fashion,” the center said in a statement.

Trump addressed the move on Truth Social, where he explained “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.”

“Just last year, the Kennedy Center featured Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth — THIS WILL STOP,” Trump continued, in a crass attempt to link a drag show hosted at the center with pedophilia. “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!”

The biennial World Pride event is set to run from May 17 to June 8. Celebrations are planned throughout D.C.

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