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“Reinstate Queer Programming”: Drag Performers Lead Protest Outside Kennedy Center

HeadlineMar 10, 2025

In Washington, D.C., drag performers led a protest outside the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Friday to protest President Trump’s takeover of the institution. Last month, Trump fired the Kennedy Center’s president, replaced its board of trustees and named himself chairman, writing that those fired “do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture.” Drag performer Lord Henry spoke at the protest.

Lord Henry: “We demand that the Kennedy Center board reinstate queer programming, including but not limited to drag-oriented workshops and shows, and any other equity and DEI initiatives at the Kennedy Center. We want to force Congress to drop the multiple attempts at criminalizing gender nonconformity, including Trump’s executive order conflating sex and gender, and the attacks on drag artists through budget amendments, denying funds to organizations supporting and protecting this queer art form, as well as so much more.”

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