Drag artists who crashed Donald Trump's first Kennedy Center show want him to know: 'You can’t erase us'
“Knowing he would be there made my attendance more crucial," drag queen Mari Con Carne told The Advocate.
JUNE 12, 2025
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“Knowing he would be there made my attendance more crucial," drag queen Mari Con Carne told The Advocate.
The actor says it's "upsetting" to see the world turning back to the period portrayed on the critically acclaimed Showtime series.
People reacted strongly when they noticed that the vice president and his wife were attending a National Symphony Orchestra show.
“One way or the other, WorldPride is happening, and it’s our responsibility to make sure that WorldPride meets the moment of this time,” executive director Ryan A. Bos told The Advocate.
The show by the National Symphony Orchestra, “A Peacock Among Pigeons,” has been scrubbed from the entertainment venue’s website and ticketing system. It was scheduled for WorldPride this summer.
Tracing his path from opera singer to celebrated comic, the Chicago native reflects on fifteen years of connecting with audiences as a queer person, his marriage, and “not politics” in an interview with The Advocate.
Donald Trump ordered a ban on drag shows at the Washington, D.C., venue, but programmers under Ric Grenell managed to find a lot of plays where drag plays a central role.
Opinion: With fixations on the JFK files, the Kennedy Center, RFK Jr., and former First Lady Jacqueline, Trump tries to be a Kennedy, writes John Casey.
"This president is demonizing a marginalized community in order to control the arts in America. It’s shameful, immoral, and weak," one performer told The Advocate before the march.
“Nobody uses that word in art — terminated,” one of the curators said.
The longtime ally was given a title that doesn’t exist at the prestigious performance arts institution.
“We saw the writing on the wall,” Capital Pride Alliance Executive Director Ryan Bos told The Advocate.
Opinion: By firing Amber Ruffin, the White House Correspondents' Association surrendered to Trump and failed in its duty to hold power accountable, writes John Casey.
“Diversity is our strength," Grenell said after Donald Trump has spent weeks railing against DEI.
A collective of drag artists is taking to the streets of Washington, D.C. on Saturday.
“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,” chorus representatives said.
“We’re not going to let people steal our joy,” D.C. drag queen Tara Hoot said.
Trump said that he was specifically motivated to overhaul the center so he could end the drag shows it occasionally hosts.