The cancellation follows a major change at the Center in February when President Donald Trump fired the president and chairman.
Following leadership changes and new priorities at the well-known cultural institutions, a weekly LGBT event scheduled for this summer’s World Pride Festival at the Kennedy Center has been cancelled, according to organizers and artists involved.
The Tapestry of Pride series, originally set from June 5th to 8th, was intended to be an important part of the global pride celebrations of multiple artists and producers in Washington, DC. In response, Capital Pride Alliance, the city’s leading LGBT advocacy group, has concluded its partnership with the Kennedy Center.
“We are a resilient community and we have found other ways to celebrate,” said June Crenshaw, deputy director of the Capital Pride Alliance. “We’re finding another path to celebration…but the fact that we have to manipulate this way is a shame.”
The Kennedy Center website continues to list Pride tapestry with only general descriptions and links to global Pride sites.
The Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to requests for comment from NTD News.
The cancellation follows a major change at the Kennedy Center in early February, when President Donald Trump fired both the agency’s president and chairman.
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Trump replaced most board members with appointees, and he elected him as chairman.
The post criticized the way the Kennedy Center featured drug shows last year “particularly targeting our youth” and called for such activities to be put to an end.
“The Kennedy Center is an American gem and must reflect the brightest stars on stage from across the country,” Trump wrote.
World Pride, a global event held every two years, will begin less than a month from May 17th to June 8th, with performances and events planned in the city.
Michael Roest, founder and director of International Pride Orchestra, said his group’s June 5 performance at the Kennedy Center was cancelled shortly after Trump’s acquisition.
Roest said the group received a single email on February 12th, saying, “At this point, we are no longer able to proceed with the contract.”
Roest said he would not receive an explanation for the cancellation.
“We’ve never heard a word from anyone at Kennedy Center since then, but that’s not going to stop us,” Roest said. The orchestra then moved the performance to Strathmore Theatre in Bethesda, Maryland.
Crenshaw said other events will move to World Pride Welcome Centre in Chinatown, including Drug Story Time and some displays of the AIDS Memorial Quilt.
Arts and culture journalist and event planner Monica Alford also saw her planned June 8 event suddenly stopped as part of a tapestry of Pride.
Alford, who organized her first drug branch on the rooftop of the Kennedy Center in 2024, was called her “home base” and “safe space for the queer community.” She said what’s going on is harming both the strange community and the entire community.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
