Watch: Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, DC Kicked Off Kennedy Center's Schedule

The upcoming Kennedy Center shows had included a performance by the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, DC. That presentation was canceled after Donald Trump took the venue over and appointed Ric Grenell as the venue's interim executive director.

The "concert [was] planned for May 21," the Washingtonian reported, and "was to feature the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, DC, performing alongside the National Symphony Orchestra."

"The two groups were planning to collaborate on a piece called 'A Peacock Among Pigeons,' with GMCW serving as the orchestra's guest chorus."

But the show was abruptly crossed off the Kennedy Center's roster of upcoming events.

"No explanation was given," the Washingtonian noted.

The news outlet added that the chorus lamented the show's cancellation, issuing a statement in which it proclaimed itself "deeply disappointed" at the venue's move.

"We believe in the power of music to educate and uplift, to foster love, understanding, and community," the Washingtonian quoted from the chorus' statement, "and we regret that this opportunity has been taken away."

Local news station WUSA 9 reported on the chorus being kicked off the Kennedy Center's upcoming schedule, calling it "another blow" that had "been dealt to the LGBTQ+ community."

The news segment detailed that the show was to have been a musical adaptation of the children's book "A Peacock Among Pigeons," a tale that, much like the classic fable "The Ugly Duckling," relates the story of someone who does not fit in with their community and suffers for it – only to discover their innate beauty to be something exceptional.

It's not a stretch to see "A Peacock Among Pigeons" as a metaphor for the experience of queer youth, who face ostracism and bullying not only from fellow students but, all too often, from school staff as well. According to youth advocacy group GLSEN, "81.8% of LGBTQ+ students in our survey reported feeling unsafe in school because of at least one of their actual or perceived personal characteristics," such as sexual orientation or gender identity.

"Nearly a fifth of LGBTQ+ students (16.2%) reported having ever changed schools due to feeling unsafe or uncomfortable at school," that same survey found.

Anti-suicide organization The Trevor Project notes that "Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among young people aged 10 to 24," and points out that "LGB youth are almost five times as likely to have attempted suicide compared to heterosexual youth," while, according to "a national study, 40% of transgender adults reported having made a suicide attempt" with "92% of these individuals... having attempted suicide before the age of 25."

The concert version of "A Peacock Among Pigeons" had already been presented in 2023 by the Boston Gay Men's Chorus (an organization to which, full disclosure, this correspondent belonged for nine years).

Clarione Gutierrez-Owens, one of the authors of the children's book on which the concert is based, told WUSA 9 that the Kennedy Center performance "was going to speak to so many people out there."

"This is a show that a lot of people in our community need," Gutierrez-Owens added.

WUSA 9 noted that the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, DC remains undaunted and plans to perform the work during WorldPride in the nation's capital in May as part of WorldPride's International Choral Festival.

"The Kennedy Center has seen a raft of cancellations since President Trump took over the arts center last week and installed his loyalist Ric Grenell as its interim president and himself as chairman of the board," the Washingtonian observed.

Trump installed Grenell, an out gay man and former ambassador, on Feb. 10. EDGE noted in a report that "since the announcement, there have been changes to the Kennedy Center's announced line-up."

"Comedian, actress and content creator Issa Rae canceled her sold-out show, becoming the first major celebrity to decline from appearing at the center," the EDGE account detailed. "On Friday [Feb. 14], The Washington Post reported on the chilling effect the administrative changes have had on the institution. Some have been voluntary, such as musician Ben Folds and opera singer Renée Fleming, who said they were stepping down as artistic advisers with the center, as did the treasurer of its board of trustees, TV producer Shonda Rhimes."

But some have not been voluntary, the EDGE report added: "The center terminated its general counsel and the head of its public relations department, according to people with close knowledge of the Kennedy Center who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared reprisal," the Post relayed. "The center's new public relations staff did not immediately respond to questions about firings or most of the show cancellations."

"Trump had complained about drag shows at the complex (which accounted for a fraction of its programming)," the account noted, "but as the Wall Street Journal reported recently, Trump told his aides he 'never felt at home at the performing arts center.'"

Watch WUSA 9's news report about the cancellation of "A Peacock Among Pigeons" at the Kennedy Center below.