The casualties of the Trump administration's war on government-sponsored, taxpayer-subsidized wokeism are piling up. In the latest development, a gay men's chorus performance at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has been yanked off the schedule.
Along with the National Symphony Orchestra, the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington DC was set to put on a show called "A Peacock Among Pigeons: Celebrating 50 Years of Pride." Timed for late May, the show was mean to kick off Pride month.
The show was based on an LGBT-themed children's book of the same name, which has been among many such child-indoctrination works targeted for removal from school and public libraries. Rather than simply promoting equality and tolerance, A Peacock Among Pigeons positions being LGBTQ as something more special than being straight. Here's how the plot is described on the book's Amazon listing:
Peter the peacock doesn't know how it happened, but he found himself growing up in a flock of pigeons. Surrounded by a world of grey, he found himself feeling less than his peers and was embarrassed by his feathers. After he fails to blend in, he decides that it's time to learn to fly on his own. Along the way, he meets new bird friends from all different flocks that teach him a lesson he will never forget.
Trump ruffled feathers earlier this month when he maneuvered himself into the chairmanship of the Kennedy Center's board of trustees, ousting Carlyle Group co-founder David Rubenstein. Trump filled board vacancies with allies like Vice President JD Vance's wife, Trump chief of staff Susie Wiles, the wife of the Commerce secretary, and the wife of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who voted Trump in, while also giving the boot to Kennedy Center president Deborah Rutter and tapping Ric Grennell as her temporary replacement. The gay Grenell's most noteworthy experience in managing theater was his service as acting Director of National Intelligence.
At the time of the Kennedy Center regime change, Trump promised to make the venue great again. "Just last year, the Kennedy Center featured Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth — THIS WILL STOP," he said on Truth Social.
National Symphony Orchestra executive director Jean Davidson claims the decision to nix the show came before the Trump coup. "We made the decision to postpone Peacock Among Pigeons due to financial and scheduling factors,” he said in a statement. "We chose to replace it with The Wizard of Oz, another suitable program for World PRIDE participation."
Video of Democrats protesting the Trump administration at the Kennedy Center via interpretive dance. pic.twitter.com/meT5Aj6bG3
— Nick Ballas (@NicholasBallas) February 19, 2025
The Gay Men's Chorus, which performed at Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration, said it was "deeply disappointed" with the decision. “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.”
The ascendancy of Trump and his allies at the Kennedy Center has prompted a wave of cancellations by artists themselves, as well as resignations of people associated with the venue. Actress, writer and comedian Issa Rae cancelled a sold-out March 1 show, citing "an infringement on the values of an institution that has faithfully celebrated artists of all backgrounds. Musician and wimpy-voiced singer Ben Folds -- who has married and divorced five women, calls his work "punk rock for sissies" but is totally not gay -- resigned as artistic adviser to the National Symphony Orchestra.
