In case you missed it, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper, along with U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin, Elizabeth Warren, Jacky Rosen, and Brian Schatz hosted a pride celebration and musical performance titled “Love is Love” on Monday at the Kennedy Center’s Justice Forum.
The concert, produced by acclaimed Broadway producer Jeffrey Seller and directed by Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley Jackson, celebrated the important role that the arts have played in the gay rights movement. The actors and other creative talent who created this show gave their time and artistic energy to recognize and amplify this cultural transformation. The performance reminds us that our fight for equality – and for democracy – isn’t over. It’s happening right now, all around us.
Photos from the event can be found HERE and attributable to the Office of U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper.
Check out the headlines below:
New York Times: With Broadway Tunes, Democrats Protest Trump’s Takeover of Kennedy Center
Five Democratic senators staged a gay pride concert at a small theater at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Monday night as a form of symbolic protest against President Trump’s takeover of the institution.
The event, which was held before an invited audience, featured performances by Broadway artists including Javier Muñoz, a “Hamilton” alum who sang “Satisfied” from the hit musical. Many of the songs and monologues were rife with L.G.B.T. themes, including one penned by Harvey Fierstein.
Other performances included Brandon Uranowitz’s singing “What More Can I Say?” from “Falsettos,” and Beth Malone’s rendition of “An Old-Fashioned Love Story” from “The Wild Party.” That song’s composer, Andrew Lippa, performed a song from his oratorio “I Am Harvey Milk” alongside the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington.
The 90-minute concert was called “Love Is Love,” a slogan used by the gay rights movement and quoted by the “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda when his show won at the Tony Awards in 2016. It was produced by Jeffrey Seller, the lead producer of “Hamilton,” who recently canceled a planned 2026 run of the musical at the Kennedy Center, saying he did not want to support Mr. Trump’s vision for the venue.
“What’s happening in the world is deeply concerning, but even in our darkest hours, we must continue to seek out the light,” Senator John Hickenlooper of Colorado, who hosted the concert, said in a statement. “The L.G.B.T.Q. community has long embodied this resilience, maintaining joy and creativity in the face of adversity.”
National Public Radio (NPR): Democratic senators held an invite-only Pride event at the Kennedy Center
A group of Democratic senators and Hamilton producer Jeffrey Seller hosted a Pride celebration at the Kennedy Center Monday evening. But the Kennedy Center had nothing to do with programming it.
Senators John Hickenlooper of Colorado, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Jacky Rosen of Nevada, Brian Schatz of Hawaii, and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin rented the Justice Forum, a small theater at the REACH, an expansion to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts that opened in 2019.
While the group of senators booked the space a few weeks ago, the Pride event, called Love Is Love, wasn’t announced until Monday. A statement from Sen. Hickenlooper’s office said the event was “about standing up for the arts and the progress the LGBTQ community has made. The performance reminds us that our fight for equality — and for democracy — isn’t over. It’s happening right now.”
Directed by Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley, the show celebrated gay culture with songs and spoken word performances by top Broadway talent, including John Cameron Mitchell, Jelani Remy, Lisa Kron and Andrew Lippa.
Details of Monday night’s show were first reported by The New York Times. Seller, whose credits also include Rent and Avenue Q, told the outlet that Hickenlooper called him to see if he’d like to engage in some “guerrilla theater.” Seller, who is gay, didn’t hesitate.
Politico: Playbook Arts Section
Sens. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) hosted a Kennedy Center gay pride performance last night, per the NYT. Drawing a contrast with the Trump administration’s takeover of the theater, the Broadway concert-cum-protest included songs and performers from “Hamilton,” “Falsettos” and more
Colorado Public Radio (CPR): Sen. Hickenlooper helps organize Pride concert at Trump-led Kennedy Center
Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper led a one-night takeover of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Monday night to celebrate Pride month, in defiance of the Center’s move away from what President Trump has called “woke” programming.
The concert, titled “Love is Love,” featured Broadway artists and was produced by Jeffrey Seller, who has been behind shows such as “Hamilton,” “Avenue Q” and “Rent.”
The event started when Hickenlooper reached out to Seller with what he described as a “goofy idea.”
“Taking songs from this arc of acceptance (of gay rights), so that we get to celebrate for a moment just how powerful our arts and culture is and how it’s changed America and how better off we are,” explained Colorado’s junior senator.
Playbill: Beth Malone, Brandon Uranowitz, Jelani Remy, More to Perform in Pride Protest Concert at Kennedy Center
Since President Trump took over the Kennedy Center in February, the institution has cancelled a number of Pride-related events. In protest, Hamilton producer Jeffrey Seller and five Democratic Senators are going to stage a Pride-themed concert at the Kennedy Center the evening of June 23.
According to a report in the New York Times, senators are allowed to rent space at the Kennedy Center. So the Democratic senators asked to rent the 144-seat Justice Hall and didn’t tell the Kennedy Center what they needed it for. The invitation-only event will be called Love Is Love and will feature queer-themed songs and readings. The participants include Tony winners John Cameron Mitchell, Lisa Kron, and Brandon Uranowitz, as well as Andrew Lippa, Beth Malone, Jelani Remy, Hennessy Winkler, Alexis Michelle, Dylan Toms, Javier Muñoz, Kathryn Gallagher, and Brandi Chavonne Massey.
The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C. (whose previously planned concert had been cancelled at the Kennedy Center), will also perform. The title of the concert is a Pride slogan, and Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda quoted it in a 2016 Tony Awards acceptance speech.
Seller produced the event, after being invited to participate from Senator John Hickenlooper of Colorado. As Seller told the Times: “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.” Seller previously pulled a planned engagement of Hamilton from the Kennedy Center as protest against the Trump Administration.
Seth Rudetsky and his husband, James Wesley Jackson, are directing the event. They previously helped organize a Broadway Rallies for Kamala event during the 2024 election.
Said Rudetsky to Playbill: “I am honored that Jeffrey Seller reached out to me and my husband James to help put this concert together after Jeffrey was contacted by the Senator’s office. We decided together that we wanted to create concert of joy and pride! The gay community has been always integral to the arts and should be welcome in every artistic venue! I am so excited to be in the company of so many amazing queer artists who will be performing songs from the Broadway canon that celebrate PRIDE! Stay tuned for photos and videos of fabulous harmonies and belting!”
Deadline: Democratic Senators To Host Kennedy Center Pride Concert To Protest Trump Takeover
Five Democratic senators will host an invitation-only Pride concert at the Kennedy Center Monday as a protest against President Donald Trump’s takeover of the Washington D.C. arts institution.
The 90-minute concert, which is expected to feature Broadway performers as well as The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington D.C., is set for Monday night, The New York Times reports.
Organized by John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., the group of Senators – Hickenlooper, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Jacky Rosen of Nevada, Brian Schatz of Hawaii and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts – have rented the Justice Forum, a 144-seat theater located in the Reach expansion of the Kennedy Center, using a privilege available to all members of Congress.
“What’s happening in the world is deeply concerning, but even in our darkest hours, we must continue to seek out the light,” Hickenlooper said in a statement. “The L.G.B.T.Q. community has long embodied this resilience, maintaining joy and creativity in the face of adversity.”
Colorado Today Podcast: June 24, 2025
Last night, Colorado’s U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper led a little guerrilla theater. It was supposed to be a sort of takeover of a venue that’s already been taken over by President Donald Trump.
The venue was the Kennedy Center in Washington, where Hickenlooper and a handful of other Democrats put on a night to celebrate LGBTQ pride.
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If you’re wondering why Hickenlooper specifically organized this, I’m not surprised that he decided to do it. You know, he’s a performer, banjo player, and you know, enjoys music.
So I can understand why he turned to the arts and celebrated not just for pride, but to try and ensure that the arts unites the country.
KKTV Colorado Springs: 11 News at 6am
A group of U.S. Senators, including Colorado’s John Hickenlooper, came together and hosted a pride celebration in a musical performance titled “Love is Love.”
Now, that performance was held last night at the Kennedy Center’s Justice Forum and produced by acclaimed Broadway producer Jeffrey Seller.
The press release from Hickenlooper’s team said the performance reminds us that our fight for equality and democracy isn’t over. It’s happening right now, all across the world.
Queerty: Dems hosted a private Pride bash at the Kennedy Center as a giant F.U. to Tr*mp
When President Tr*mp took over the running of the Kennedy Center in February, he promised no more “woke” productions. He installed gay chum Richard Grenell as the art center’s acting President.
Since then, not only have performers and productions pulled their appearances at the venue, but the center also canceled all of its planned Pride Month events.
That was until last night!
In a rebuke of the President’s takeover of the venue, five Democratic Senators hosted a private, invite-only Pride Month event. They didn’t tell the Kennedy Center in advance the exact nature of the private booking.
The New York Times reported yesterday that the 90-minute show was booked at the 144-seat Justice Forum. It was organized by Senator John Hickenlooper (D-CO). His co-hosts included Tammy Baldwin (WI), Jacky Rosen (NV), Brian Schatz (HI) and Elizabeth Warren (MA).
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Hickenlooper reshared the New York Times story to X, saying, “Let’s do this,” with a pride flag emoji.
LGBTQ Nation: Gay MAGA official scorns “Hamilton” creators for Kennedy Center boycott: They “cosplay as victims”
As the Daily Beast notes, Grenell’s statement came the same day as an invite-only Pride concert produced by Seller and staged by Democratic Senators John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Brian Schatz (D-HI) at one of the Kennedy Center’s theaters. According to the outlet, Miranda does not seem to have been involved in the event in any way. While the New York Times reported on the concert Monday, the paper was also not involved in its production, as Grenell suggested.
While Grenell claimed in his Monday statement that “No one has been cancelled by the Kennedy Center” and that “we welcome everyone who wants to celebrate the arts, including our compatriots on the other side of the political aisle,” under his leadership, several Pride events and performances have, in fact, been canceled.
According to the Times, Hickenlooper invited Seller to produce Monday’s concert, which Seller said was meant “to celebrate gay characters, gay culture, gay music and gay pride.”
“This is our way of reoccupying the Kennedy Center,” Seller told the paper. “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.”
Daily Beast: Kennedy Center President Melts Down at ‘Hamilton’ Duo in Social Media Tirade
Hickenlooper said in an X post that “this is about standing up for freedom. It’s about standing up for self-expression. At the core of it all, it’s about standing up for love.”
BroadwayWorld: Photos: Senators Host LOVE IS LOVE Pride Celebration at the Kennedy Center
On June 23rd U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper, Tammy Baldwin, Elizabeth Warren, Jacky Rosen, and Brian Schatz hosted a Pride celebration and musical performance titled Love is Love, which was produced by acclaimed Broadway producer Jeffrey Seller, at the Kennedy Center’s Justice Forum.
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Senator Hickenlooper opened the program, which featured an evening of live performances and monologues celebrating LGBTQ culture and resilience.
The Hill: 5 Democratic senators protest Trump Kennedy Center takeover with gay pride concert
A group of five Democratic senators reportedly protested President Trump’s unprecedented overhaul of the Kennedy Center by hosting a gay pride concert.
The performance, dubbed “Love is Love” and first reported by The New York Times, was held Monday night at a theater inside the Washington performing arts institution and included pro-LGBTQ songs and monologues.
Sen. John Hickenlooper (Colo.) — one of the five Democrats behind the event — said in a statement, “What’s happening in the world is deeply concerning, but even in our darkest hours, we must continue to seek out the light.”
The Monday concert, which came during Pride Month, aimed to “honor the role that the freedom of expression and the theatrical arts play in continuing to expand LGBTQ rights in America,” Hickenlooper said.
The musical performance was also hosted by Sens. Tammy Baldwin (Wis.), Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), Brian Schatz (Hawaii) and Jacky Rosen (Nev.).
Colorado Pols: Hickenlooper Master Trolls Trump’s Censored Kennedy Center
As Colorado Public Radio’s Caitlyn Kim reports, Washington is abuzz this morning after a group of Democratic U.S. Senators led by Colorado’s Sen. John Hickenlooper pulled off a protest concert inside the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which was taken over by the Trump administration soon after taking power, after Donald Trump personally objected to the content featured there during previous administrations:
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Of course, none of this would be happening were it not for Trump’s takeover and ideological remake of the Center’s event schedule that Grenell himself presided over. There’s no amount of carping after the fact that can overcome the much bigger impression made by pulling off this protest concert inside the arts complex that Trump wants to micromanage like the infamous Carter White House tennis courts.
These are the moments history remembers after repressive eras end, and this one belongs to Sen. John Hickenlooper of Colorado.
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