A group of five Democratic senators reportedly protested President Trump’s unprecedented overhaul of the Kennedy Center by hosting a gay pride concert.
The performance, dubbed “Love is Love” and first reported by The New York Times, was held Monday night at a theater inside the Washington performing arts institution and included pro-LGBTQ songs and monologues.
Sen. John Hickenlooper (Colo.) — one of the five Democrats behind the event — said in a statement, “What’s happening in the world is deeply concerning, but even in our darkest hours, we must continue to seek out the light.”
The Monday concert, which came during Pride Month, aimed to “honor the role that the freedom of expression and the theatrical arts play in continuing to expand LGBTQ rights in America,” Hickenlooper said.
The musical performance was also hosted by Sens. Tammy Baldwin (Wisc.), Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), Brian Schatz (Hawaii) and Jacky Rosen (Nev.).
“As the Trump administration keeps up its hateful attacks on LGBTQ+ Americans, we’re meeting their bigotry with resilience and joy,” Warren said.
The concert came after Trump put himself in charge of the Kennedy Center in February, naming himself chairman after accusing the arts hub of being too “woke.” He appointed his envoy for special missions, Richard Grenell, as its president.
Several artists, including producers of the Broadway musical “Hamilton,” canceled plans to perform at the Kennedy Center amid Trump’s takeover.
“Hamilton” lead producer Jeffrey Seller said in March that the Kennedy Center was a “sacred” setting that should be “protected from politics.” Seller helped organize Monday’s concert hosted by the senators.
“This is our way of reoccupying the Kennedy Center,” he told the Times.
Grenell ripped the move on Monday, calling it a “political stunt” and saying in a statement that organizers were “refusing to perform for audience members who don’t share their personal politics” and attempting to “cosplay as victims of intolerance.”
Grenell said that Hickenlooper’s staff requested to rent one of the theaters at the Kennedy Center for “what his team billed as a first annual talent show” and “we were pleased to welcome them to the Kennedy Center in this capacity.”
Instead, Grenell said, the Kennedy Center was “used by political operatives to larp as victims of intolerance in order to get a story in the Times.”
“No one has been cancelled by the Kennedy Center; we welcome everyone who wants to celebrate the arts, including our compatriots on the other side of the political aisle,” Grenell said.
“We especially welcome artists and audience members who come to the Kennedy Center not for partisan political pranks but to experience excellence in the performing arts,” he said.
—Updated at 11:05 a.m. EDT
