Democratic US senators have hosted an invite-only Pride concert, in defiance of US president Donald Trump’s anti-LGBTQ+ stance.

The event was held at the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Monday (23 June), in collaboration with LGBTQ+ performers and Hamilton producer Jeffrey Seller, and the multi-award-winning musical’s creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Colorado senator John Hickenlooper arranged the evening’s entertainment along with congressional colleagues Tammy Baldwin, Jacky Rosen, Brian Schatz and Elizabeth Warren, as a way to protest against Trump’s takeover of the centre.

The centre elected Trump as chairman in February after he purged Biden-appointed board members, including long-time president Deborah Rutter. She was replaced by Trump loyalist, Richard Grenell.

Hickenlooper told The New York Times: “What’s happening in the world is deeply concerning but even in our darkest hours, we must continue to seek out the light. The LGBTQ+ community has long embodied this resilience, maintaining joy and creative in the face of adversity.”

The 90-minute concert took place in a 144-seat lecture hall within the centre, rented out by the senators, and showcased what Seller called a celebration of “gay characters, gay culture, gay music and gay Pride”.

Also describing it as “guerrilla theatre“, Seller added: “This is our way of reoccupying the Kennedy Center. This is a form of saying, ‘We are here, we exist and you can’t ignore us’. This is a protest and a political act.”

Out gay diplomat Grenell, the special presidential envoy for special missions, accused the concert organisers of misrepresenting their event when they asked to rent the venue, and of “larp[ing] as victims of intolerance”.

Grenell, formerly the acting director of national intelligence, went on to say: “I am glad that Mr Seller or Mr Miranda have decided to perform at the Kennedy Center after having decided to boycott it entirely but I hope they’ll soon consider performing for all the families, schoolchildren and others from across America who come [here], without imposing on them a political litmus test.”

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