Kennedy Center cancels Gay Men’s Chorus of D.C. WorldPride show about acceptance, group confirms

The prestigious Kennedy Center has officially canceled “A Peacock Among Pigeons,” an unofficial WorldPride concert featuring the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C., and the National Symphony Orchestra, the chorus confirmed in a statement on Instagram. As The Advocate previously reported, the performance and ticketing information quietly disappeared from the Kennedy Center’s website shortly after President Donald Trump installed himself as chairman of the performance arts institution.

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“The piece was intended to be a part of the Kennedy Center’s Pride celebration, and we were very excited to be collaborating with the NSO as their guest chorus,” the Gay Men’s Chorus said in a statement. “We believe in the power of music to educate and uplift, to foster love, understanding, and community, and we regret that this opportunity has been taken away.”

Related: National Symphony Orchestra’s WorldPride concert disappears from Kennedy Center website after Trump takeover

The cancellation is being received as part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to reshape cultural institutions by eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion programming. The Kennedy Center, once a champion of LGBTQ+ representation, has undergone a drastic shift since Trump dismissed its board and appointed right-wing loyalist Richard Grenell—the gay former ambassador to Germany under the first Trump administration, who has no background in arts administration—as interim executive director.

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In response to Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center, hundreds of LGBTQ+ activists, drag performers, and allies marched to the venue last week in protest.

Related: Hundreds of drag queens, activists & LGBTQ+ allies converge on Kennedy Center to protest Trump’s takeover

Author Tyler Curry-McGrath, whose children’s book inspired the musical, called the cancellation “a direct attack on LGBTQ+ visibility.”

“The book is about embracing who you are, even when others don’t. I find it ironic that a story about bullying is itself being bullied out of the Kennedy Center by the president of the United States,” he told The Advocate.

Illustrator Clarione Gutierrez-Owens told WUSA9 that the show’s cancellation is a loss for the community.

“This show was going to speak to so many people in our community, especially in times like this. We just need something hopeful and reassuring,” he said.

The Kennedy Center’s shift under Trump has sparked widespread backlash. Issa Rae, Low Cut Connie, and other artists have pulled out of scheduled performances in protest, while the National Symphony Orchestra’s musicians have authorized a strike.

Despite the cancellation, “A Peacock Among Pigeons” will still be performed during the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington’s Choral Festival as part of WorldPride 2025.

Related: WorldPride 2025 expects huge ‘visibility’ march & rally in D.C. amid Trump’s anti-LGBTQ+ agenda

Capital Pride Alliance executive director Ryan A. Bos reaffirmed that WorldPride will proceed as planned, including a massive march and rally on June 8.

“D.C. has been known for years as the gayest city per capita in the country. That’s not going to change by June,” Bos recently told The Advocate. “This is a moment for us to reaffirm our place and remind the world that we will not be erased.”

The Advocate has contacted the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C., for further comment on the cancellation and its ongoing relationship with the Kennedy Center. The Kennedy Center did not respond to a request for comment.

However, longtime NSO member Jeffrey Weisner, who has played bass with the orchestra since 1995, posted a statement on his Facebook page indicating that the performance was canceled before Trump’s takeover.

“Before the leadership transition at the Kennedy Center, we made the decision to postpone Peacock Among Pigeons due to financial and scheduling factors,” the statement on Weisner’s page reads. “We chose to replace it with The Wizard of Oz, another suitable program for World PRIDE participation. Program changes are a common practice. We were unable to announce the replacement program until we had secured the rights to present it, but in the interest of transparency, we removed the original program from the website to prevent further ticket sales.”

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.