Local
Kennedy Center cancels Gay Men’s Chorus concert
Move comes shortly after Trump takes over as chair and names Ric Grenell interim executive director

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has cancelled “A Peacock Among Pigeons: Celebrating 50 Years of Pride,” a May 21 concert that was to feature the Gay Menās Chorus of Washington, D.C.
In a statement to the Washington Blade, Jean Davidson, executive director of the National Symphony Orchestra, said āBefore the leadership transition at the Kennedy Center, we made the decision to postpone Peacock Among Pigeons due to financial and scheduling factors.”
“We chose to replace it with The Wizard of Oz, another suitable program for World PRIDE participation,” she said. “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.ā
The center’s decision predated President Donald Trump’s installment of himself as chair of the iconic institution earlier this month. He then picked gay former diplomat Ric Grenell to serve as interim executive director.
The Chorus released a statement that said the group was ādeeply disappointedā to learn their concert with the National Symphony Orchestra was taken off the schedule. āWe 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,ā they said.
The organization pledged to ācontinue to seek spaces where our voices, our stories, and our music can be heard,ā adding, āWe will continue to advocate for artistic expression that reflects the depth and diversity of our community and country,ā and “we will continue to sing and raise our voices for equality.ā
The Chorus now plans to perform the show during the WorldPride International Choral Festival instead. The center did not provide a reason for the cancellation.
Announcing his takeover of the organization on Truth Social, Trump pledged that “no more drag shows” would be hosted there, even though they only accounted for a fraction of its programming.
The president purged most of the center’s board of trustees earlier this month, while Grenell has begun to fire employees, according to The Wall Street Journal.
District of Columbia
Sentencing for Ruby Corado postponed for second time
Former Casa Ruby director pleaded guilty to wire fraud

The sentencing in D.C. federal court for Ruby Corado, the founder and executive director of the now-defunct LGBTQ community services organization Casa Ruby on a charge of wire fraud, has been postponed for the second time, from March 28 to April 29.
A spokesperson for U.S. District Court Judge Trevor N. McFadden, who is presiding over the case, said it was the judge who postponed the sentencing due to a scheduling conflict. The earlier postponement, from Jan. 10 to March 28, came at the request of Coradoās attorney and was not opposed by prosecutors with the Office of the U.S. Attorney for D.C.
Corado pleaded guilty on July 17, 2024, to a single charge of wire fraud as part of a plea bargain deal offered by prosecutors. The charge to which she pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for D.C. says she allegedly diverted at least $150,000 āin taxpayer backed emergency COVID relief funds to private offshore bank accounts for her personal use,ā according to a statement from the U.S. Attorneyās office.
Under the federal wire fraud law, for which Corado is being prosecuted, she could be subjected to a possible maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and restitution requiring her to repay the funds she allegedly stole.
Court observers, however, have said that due to Coradoās decision to waive her right to a trial and plead guilty to the lesser charge, prosecutors will likely ask the judge to hand down a lesser sentence than the maximum sentence.
An earlier criminal complaint filed against Corado, which has been replaced by the single charge to which she has pleaded guilty, came at the time the FBI arrested her on March 5, 2024, at a hotel in Laurel, Md., shortly after she returned to the U.S. from El Salvador.
At the request of her attorney and against the wishes of prosecutors, another judge at that time agreed to release Corado into custody of her niece in Rockville, Md., under a home detention order. The release order came seven days after Corado had been held in jail at the time of her March 5 arrest.
Virginia
Pride Liberation Project announces additional Va. school board protests
Student-led group challenging Trump-Vance administrationās anti-LGBTQ policies

Following their recent protests at school board meetings in Virginia to challenge the Trump-Vance administrationās anti-LGBTQ policies, a student-led rights group on Wednesday outlined plans to continue their actions.
The Pride Liberation Project released a statement in early March announcing their āMarch Month of Actionā after their first round of protests. The Pride Liberation Project on Wednesday issued another press release that provided additional details.
āQueer students will rally at local school board meetings across Virginia, as they call for education leaders to reject the Trump-Muskās administration escalating attacks against queer people.ā said Conifer Selintung on behalf of the Pride Liberation Project. āSince taking office, the Trump-Musk administration has ignored the real issues facing our schools ā like declining reading scores and the mental health crisis ā and tried to bully queer students into the closet. Alongside other hateful attacks, theyāve attacked nondiscrimination protections, banned gender-affirming care, and whitewashed history.ā
The Pride Liberation Project press release also included a statement from Moth, an LGBTQ student at McLean High School.
āI want to be able to go to school as myself, just like any other student,ā said Moth. āTo do that, I need my school board to stand up to bullies.ā
The Pride Liberation Project has also released a schedule of rallies it plans to hold this month.
The first rally took place at the Prince William County School Board meeting in Manassas on Wednesday. A second event took place at the Roanoke County School Board meeting on Thursday.
Additional rallies are scheduled to take place in Rockingham and York Counties on March 24, Loudoun County on March 25, and Fairfax County on March 27.
District of Columbia
Harvey Fierstein says he was banned from Kennedy Center
Gay icon called out President Donald Trump

Gay icon and film legend Harvey Fierstein, 72, announced in an Instagram post on Tuesday that he was banned from the Kennedy Center as a result of President Donald Trumpās sweeping anti-LGBTQ measures in the performing space.Ā
Fierstein, who is a longtime fixture of queer storytelling both on screen and on stage, took to social media to criticize Trump for his recent decisions to take control of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and to hide ā if not erase ā LGBTQ art, and sounds the alarm for the future of the United States.Ā
In the picture posted on Instagram, Fierstein alongside LGBTQ rights activist Marsha P. Johnson is walking in the Christopher Street Liberation Day parade in 1979, with the caption beginning with āI have been banned from THE KENNEDY CENTER.ā
The multiple Tony Award-winning artist, who may be best known for “Torch Song Trilogy,” “La Cage aux Folles,” and “Kinky Boots,” to name a few, went on to explain his thoughts on Trumpās very public takeover of the national cultural center.
āA few folks have written to ask how I feel about Trump’s takeover of The Kennedy Center. How do you think I feel? The shows I’ve written are now banned from being performed in our premier American theater. Those shows, most of which have been performed there in the past, include, KINKY BOOTS. LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, TORCH SONG TRILOGY, HAIRSPRAY, SAFE SEX, CASA VALENTINA, SPOOKHOUSE, A CATERED AFFAIR, THE SISSY DUCKLING, BELLA BELLA and more.ā
āI have been in the struggle for our civil rights for more than 50 years only to watch them snatched away by a man who actually couldn’t care less,ā the post continued. āHe does this stuff only to placate the religious right so they’ll look the other way as he savages our political system for his own glorification. He attacks free speech. He attacks the free press. He attacks America’s allies. His only allegiance is to himself – the golden calf.ā
Fierstein then issued a warning for Americans, remarking that removing works that donāt align with Trumpās personal agenda represents a slippery slope that can lead to the erosion of democracy and emergence into fascism.Ā Ā
āMy fellow Americans I warn you – this is NOT how it begins. This is how freedom ENDS!ā
He finished the post with a call to action for Americans to recognize and confront Trumpās injustice.
āTrump may have declared ‘woke’ as dead in America. We must prove him wrong. WAKE THE HELL UP!!!!!ā
The post seemingly also pushes back on the Trump administrationās choice to remove any mention of transgender people from the Stonewall National Monumentās website by including Marsha P. Johnson in his post.
Since its upload on Tuesday, the post has gained more than 14,000 likes and 300 comments supporting Fierstein.Ā Ā
Trumpās reported banning of Fierstein from the Kennedy Center comes amid the presidentās drastic overhaul of the cultural venue after calling out āwokeā programming on its stages, including a drag show. His actions signal a broader effort to reshape the nation’s artistic landscape to align with his administrationās ideology.
The Kennedy Center couldn’t immediately be reached to confirm Fierstein’s claims. This post will be updated.
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