Michael Feinstein is the most recent theater star to take a stand towards the Trump administration’s takeover of the Kennedy Middle.
In an essay titled ‘Worry of Queer?’ posted to Instagram, the 5x Grammy nominee referred to as out the performing arts heart for reportedly canceling its Satisfaction Month programming.
“Not too long ago, I used to be invited to conduct the Nationwide Symphony Orchestra, carry out and communicate at a program entitled ‘A Peacock Amongst Pigeons: Celebrating 50 Years of Satisfaction’ at The Kennedy Middle, which celebrated the rainbow of affects upon artwork, music and our total tradition,” he wrote partly within the put up.
“This program was abruptly and unceremoniously canceled,” added Feinstein. “These latest Kennedy Middle losses might be outlined within the years forward, because the twenty first century government-sanctioned censorship and silencing of creativity, no matter worth, based mostly strictly on sexual orientation. Artwork, in its purest kind, is the place we droop our variations to light up parts of the human situation.”
After the Trump administration terminated grants this month that fund PBS and NPR, Feinstein pressured “the truth that any government-supported entry to the humanities is not secure.”
“For the reason that present administration has banned, cancelled or forbidden, in an effort to erase any live performance or program on the Kennedy Middle, that in any manner permits artwork to acknowledge existence of homosexuality (and these ‘cancellations’ don’t acknowledge the disturbing, racist, misogynistic and different bigoted types of censorship, which I discover equally distressing, infuriating and certainly, despicable),” Feinstein continued. “The following logical step is to ban all works written by gay, bisexual, omnisexual, transsexual folks, mates of homosexual folks or folks suspected of being queer. It labored for the Nazis proper?”
Feinstein urged readers to “please take motion” and write their senator, congressperson or the White Home, additionally encouraging donations to The Trevor Challenge.
“Oh, and I hope they don’t neglect to ban my upcoming present, ‘The Homosexual American Songbook’!” he concluded.
Deadline has reached out to the Kennedy Middle for remark.
Donald Trump visited the Kennedy Middle in March, following his appointment because the Middle’s new chairman after he ousted half the group’s board members, who have been nominated by Joe Biden.
Since Trump took over, Shonda Rhimes has resigned from the board of the Kennedy Middle, and Issa Rae has canceled a present scheduled for the venue. In the meantime, Trump has confronted backlash from supporters of the Kennedy Middle’s cancelled touring youngsters’s musical Finn, the Homosexual Males’s Refrain of DC and Worldwide Satisfaction Orchestra over scrapped performances.
Trump beforehand threatened to make the Kennedy Middle “GREAT AGAIN,” saying his plan in February to take away these “who don’t share our Imaginative and prescient for a Golden Age in Arts and Tradition.”
“We are going to quickly announce a brand new Board, with a tremendous Chairman, DONALD J. TRUMP!” he added. “Simply final 12 months, the Kennedy Middle featured Drag Exhibits particularly focusing on our youth — THIS WILL STOP. The Kennedy Middle is an American Jewel, and should replicate the brightest STARS on its stage from all throughout our Nation. For the Kennedy Middle, THE BEST IS YET TO COME!”
