Several LGBTQ+ pride events to be held as part of Washington, D.C.’s World Pride celebrations in May and June have been relocated from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
The affected events include an International Pride Orchestra concert, a drag story hour and Pride-related art exhibits, including one featuring panels from the AIDS Memorial Quilt.
The Associated Press was the first to report on the changes.
Event organizers say some were moved after the Kennedy Center informed them that it would not move forward with contracts to host them, while others were moved proactively after President Donald Trump abruptly fired several members of the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees in February and made himself chairman.
The president wrote in a Truth Social post at the time, “Just last year, the Kennedy Center featured Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth — THIS WILL STOP.”
Ryan Bos, executive director of the Capital Pride Alliance, a group that is one of the main organizers of World Pride, described the post as the “writing on the wall” that prompted his group to move the gatherings it planned to host at the Kennedy Center elsewhere.
“The Kennedy Center, as an arts and cultural institution, this is a type of space that has been a safe haven for our communities from the dawn of time,” Bos told NBC News, adding that Trump’s message “goes counter to what pride is about.”
Now, the group’s programming will take place at its World Pride Welcome Center in downtown Washington.
Another event — the International Pride Orchestra’s Pride Celebration concert — will now take place at Strathmore, a concert venue in Bethesda, Maryland.
The orchestra’s leaders were informed via email on Feb. 12, just days after Trump’s announcement, that it would not be performing at the venue.
“We are not in a position at this time to advance a contract,” the email said, according to a press release from the International Pride Orchestra.
That same month, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C., and the National Symphony Orchestra were also informed that an event they were planning to host at the Kennedy Center in May would not move forward.
The Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment on this article.
In a statement, Michael Roest, the founding artistic director of the International Pride Orchestra, said orchestra members were “heartbroken” when they realized they would not be able to perform at the Kennedy Center during World Pride.
His statement also thanked Strathmore for opening its doors, saying, “Their willingness to host our Pride Celebration Concert ensures that our message of love, pride, and resilience will be heard on the doorstep of the nation’s capital.”
Capital Pride’s Bos echoed Roest, emphasizing the importance of moving forward with plans for World Pride, especially in Washington, as the nation’s capital celebrates 50 years of hosting annual Pride celebrations.
“World Pride is not canceled,” Bos said. “Every year World Pride is important, but this year there’s a very strong historic moment that we must meet … to ensure our community is not scared back into the closet.”
