District of Columbia
LGBTQ performers join Kennedy Center boycott following Trump takeover
Opposition grows after cancellation of Gay Men’s Chorus show
A growing number of LGBTQ musicians and performers such as choral singers and orchestra players have joined other performing artists in refusing to perform at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts since its takeover last month by President Donald Trump.
According to local gay musician Stephen Key, who for many years has worked as a contract oboe player at the Kennedy Center, as many as a dozen or more gay and lesbian musicians perform at the Kennedy Center. He said some have resigned their jobs or, like him, are refusing to perform as self-employed musicians at the Kennedy Center.
“I decided after the second cancellation to turn down work,” Key told the Washington Blade. “There are more famous musicians than me who have done the same,” he added. “But I just couldn’t do it anymore. It was after the Gay Men’s Chorus cancellation occurred.”
Key was referring to the decision by the National Symphony Orchestra, which is under the direction of the Kennedy Center, to “postpone” the performance of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, which was scheduled to perform with the orchestra on May 21.
In a statement released to the Blade in February, a National Symphony Orchestra spokesperson said the decision to postpone, which soon after became a cancellation, took place in January before President Trump’s sweeping leadership changes at the Kennedy Center.
The spokesperson, Jean Davidson, said the decision related to the Gay Men’s Chorus was due to “financial and scheduling factors.”
The ultimate cancellation of the Gay Men’s Chorus performance came shortly after Kennedy Center officials cancelled a planned WorldPride related performance of the San Francisco based International Pride Orchestra, and the highly acclaimed children’s musical “Finn.” The officials cited financial reasons for the Finn cancellation and did not publicly say why the international chorus was cancelled.
In a Feb. 14 article, Playbill magazine reported that the creators and composers of “Finn” released a statement denouncing the cancellation as an expression of bias against a theme of “love and acceptance” that could be “read as a metaphor for the LGBTQ+ experience.”
Key said LGBTQ and LGBTQ supportive musicians and others who have worked at the Kennedy Center question the claim that scheduling and financial issues were the actual reason for the postponement and cancellation of the Gay Men’s Chorus performance as well as for the performances of “Finn” and the International Pride Orchestra.
He said musicians and others familiar with the National Symphony fear the real reason is National Symphony officials were concerned that supporting an LGBTQ related performance would result in unfavorable consequences from the Trump administration and the Kennedy Center’s Trump appointed leaders, including the possible loss of their nonprofit tax status from the IRS.
Observers have also pointed out that a statement by Trump that drag performers would no longer be allowed to perform at the Kennedy Center could have played a role in the decision to cancel the Gay Men’s Chorus appearance because drag performers have participated in some of the Gay Men’s Chorus shows.
A bias by the Kennedy Center’s current leadership against LGBTQ performances may also be linked to the Trump administration’s ban on diversity, equity, and inclusion, or “DEI” programs and public displays, some observers have said.
Earlier in February President Trump appointed himself as chair of the board of the Kennedy Center after ousting longtime chair David M. Rubenstein. He then replaced most of the other board members with his supporters and named gay former diplomat and longtime Trump supporter Richard Grenell as the Kennedy Center’s interim executive director.
Among the organizations that have joined the Kennedy Center boycott by cancelling an appearance there is the hit Broadway play “Hamilton.” Also announcing their cancellation of Kennedy Center appearances were actress and comedian Issa Rae, rock band Low Cut Connie, and singer-musician Rhiannon Giddens.
Key said that while he has been an oboe player at the Kennedy Center with the National Symphony Orchestra and the Kennedy Center’s opera orchestra, he also has and continues to play with local orchestras and choral groups not affiliated with the Kennedy Center. He said he also serves as Adjunct Associate Professor of Oboe at Shenandoah Conservatory at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Va.
So, his decision to boycott the Kennedy Center as a musician, unlike other LGBTQ and allied musicians, will not end his career as a musician he points out.
“The sad part is that the National Symphony, the opera orchestra – these are groups that I’ve played with, and I have friends in all of these groups,” Key said. “They’re kind of innocent bystanders in a sense because they don’t have other jobs. I can walk away from my job there and I’ll be fine,” he said.
“There are plenty of queer people in both of those ensembles and while a lot of people are boycotting the orchestras, they are still having to show up to work every day because that’s their day job.” He added, “So, there’s kind of an awkward situation that’s been made as a result of all of this.”
In a related development, local drag artists and their supporters gathered for a march from Washington Circle to the Kennedy Center on Saturday to protest the Trump-Vance administration’s anti-transgender policies and the decisions made by the Trump-appointed Kennedy Center board of trustees. The March for Drag began with a rally at Washington Circle near George Washington University.
District of Columbia
Campaign launched to elect more LGBTQ candidates to ANC seats
Capital Stonewall Democrats behind Queering ANCs effort
The Capital Stonewall Democrats, D.C.’s largest local LGBTQ political group, announced on July 7 it has launched a campaign to help elect large numbers of LGBTQ candidates to the city’s Advisory Neighborhood Commissions.
The D.C. local government is believed to be unique among U.S. cities in currently having 46 Advisory Neighborhood Commissions consisting of 345 single-member districts in neighborhoods throughout the city in which unpaid Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners are elected for two-year terms.
The commissions are charged with considering a wide range of policies and programs impacting their neighborhoods, including traffic, parking, recreation, street improvements, liquor licenses, zoning, economic development, police protection, sanitation and trash collection, and D.C.’s annual budget, according to the ANC website.
Although the ANCs do not have authority to set or reject policies or proposals, such as applications for liquor licenses, city agencies are required to give “great weight” to ANC recommendations, according to the law creating the ANCs.
Kent Boese, a gay former ANC commissioner, currently serves as executive director of the D.C. Office of ANCs.
“We are launching the most ambitious hyperlocal LGBTQ+ candidate pipeline initiative in the country,” said Stevie McCarty, the Capital Stonewall Democrats president, in a July 7 statement that announced the Queering ANCs campaign.
“As an ANC member, I know firsthand how these seats shape our neighborhoods, from housing and public safety to sanitation,” McCarty says in the statement. “I’m proud to lead this effort to ensure more LGBTQ+ Washingtonians see themselves as leaders in their communities,” he said.
The ANC Rainbow Caucus, which was created by LGBTQ ANC members, shows on its website that there are currently 38 caucus members consisting of elected LGBTQ ANC commissioners serving in the current 2025-2026 two-year term.
The website shows there are LGBTQ commissioners who are caucus members in each of the city’s eight wards, with six in Ward 1, eight in Ward 2, one in Ward 3, six in Ward 4, five in Ward 5, three in Ward 6, eight in Ward 7, and one in Ward 8.
The Washington Blade couldn’t immediately determine how many of them will be running for re-election in D.C.’s general election in November. But McCarty said Capital Stonewall Democrats hopes to recruit many more LGBTQ candidates to run for ANC seats.
The D.C. Board of Elections website shows the deadline for filing 25 required petition signatures to be placed on the ballot is Aug. 5.
A Queering ANCs website launched this week by Capital Stonewall Democrats provides details on how to run for an ANC seat and offers help for those interested in running.
“Think of someone in your building, neighborhood, friend group, community organization, or professional network who cares deeply about D.C. and would make a strong leader,” McCarty says in his statement. “Send them QueeringANCs.org and personally ask them to consider running,” he said.
The website can be accessed at QueeringANCs.org.
District of Columbia
Mary’s House founder, CEO retires
Dr. Imani Woody played leading role in opening DC’s first home for LGBTQ seniors
The board of directors for Mary’s House for Older Adults, DC’s first official home dedicated to providing affordable housing for LGBTQ seniors, announced on July 7 that its founding president and CEO, Dr. Imani Woody, has retired.
Woody, who holds a PhD in Human Services, is credited with playing a leading role over many years in arranging both city and private funding needed to construct and operate the Mary’s House three-story building located at 401 Anacostia Road, S.E., in the city’s Fort Dupont neighborhood.
The house, which opened in March 2025, with a grand opening ceremony held in May 2025, includes 15 single-occupancy residential units and more than 5,000 square feet of shared communal living space.
“It is with profound gratitude and hearts full of celebration that the board of directors of Mary’s House for Older Adults, DC (MHFOA) announces the retirement of our visionary founder, Dr. Imani Woody, from her role as president and CEO,” the Mary’s House board says in a statement.
“Dr. Woody’s journey with Mary’s House began with her vision and a kitchen table gathering of women with a bold, urgent, and loving vision: to create safe, affirming, affordable housing for LGBTQ/SGL older adults in Washington, DC,” the statement says.
It adds, “What started as a dream has grown into DC’s first affordable LGBTQ+/SGL affirming communal living space for adults 60 and over, a 15-room community residence at 401 Anacostia Road in Southeast Washington.”
The statement says Woody will continue to serve on Mary’s House board.
“The board will be sharing information about the leadership transition process in the coming weeks,” the statement continues. “We are committed to honoring Dr. Woody’s legacy by ensuring Mary’s House continues to thrive and grow in faithful service to LGBTQ/SGL elders experiencing housing insecurity and isolation.”
District of Columbia
SMYAL receives $25,000 award for ‘courageous acts’
D.C. group provides support services for LGBTQ youth
The D.C.-based organization SMYAL, which provides services for LGBTQ youth in the D.C. metro area, including housing for homeless LGBTQ youth, announced on June 30 that it received a $25,000 award for its “courageous acts” in support of the community it serves.
The award was a monetary grant from The Courage Project, which describes itself as a “national initiative investing in acts of courage and compassion that strengthens our communities and democracy.”
A statement on its website says it was launched in May 2025 and is funded and backed by leading national foundations in the U.S.
“At SMYAL, we are deeply grateful to receive support from The Courage Project and are inspired by their bold investment in LGBTQ+ youth at such a critical moment,” SMYAL CEO Erin Whelan said in a statement. “For queer and trans young people, simply showing up as themselves each day requires immense courage, and that courage is strengthened when organizations like The Courage Project stand behind them loudly, proudly, and without hesitation,” Whelan said.
In its statement announcing the award SMYAL says The Courage Project will recognize SMYAL and other awardees and their work on July 3 at the Washington National Cathedral as part of a special interfaith service marking the U.S. 250th anniversary.
“The Courage Project is a bold initiative honoring everyday acts of bravery – the quiet, often unseen acts of heroism that reflect the best of the American spirit and strengthen democracy at the community level,” the project states on its website.
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