Actor and activist Billy Porter took part in a high-profile protest at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., as artists warn that President Donald Trump’s cultural policies threaten creative independence at one of America’s major institutions.
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The demonstration, which featured celebrity appearances such as Jane Fonda, Joan Baez and Jim Acosta, comes as the Kennedy Center faces a planned two-year closure following layoffs and program reorientation under President Trump’s cultural agenda. Critics say the move threatens artistic independence and freedom of expression.
The protests unfolded on the eve of an even larger nationwide mobilization.
On Saturday, more than 3,300 rallies were held across major cities and small communities, with organizers estimating that more than 8 million people participated in the coordinated NoKing protests in all 50 states. The protests, the largest single-day turnout in recent U.S. history, were sparked by a combination of issues, including a crackdown on immigration, the escalating war with Iran, economic concerns and growing government overreach.
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Speaking with Al Sharpton on MS NOW’s PoliticsNation on Saturday, Porter connected the fight over arts and culture to a broader wave of protests.
“Authoritarian governments pursue art first,” Porter said. “Art has the power to reach inside people and change their molecular structure from the inside out.”
Asked if the impact of the administration’s cultural policies is already being felt in Hollywood and Broadway, Porter said the answer is “yes, and it’s early but visible.”
“As a black gay out artist, I rode the wave of what is now known as performative wakefulness,” he said. “Then I broke through the concrete glass ceiling and found my job opportunities slowly drying up.”
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He contrasted the kinds of projects that continue to be produced with those that are increasingly sidelined.
“The Midwest CBS shows, the police shows…all that stuff is still there,” Porter said. “But when you talk about the heart, when you talk about connections, when you talk about people who aren’t like other people… there’s not a lot of that work being done right now.”
At Friday’s gathering, speakers and speakers emphasized that the changes at the Kennedy Center are part of a broader pattern affecting cultural institutions, journalism, and education. Fonda warned that pressure on the arts could coincide with broader efforts to shape the information the public sees and hears, WTOP report.
The message echoes what organizers and participants told The Advocate ahead of Saturday’s protest, that the No Kings movement is not about a single policy, but about resisting what they see as the consolidation of political power and the shrinking of space for dissent.
For Porter, this moment also comes with a sense of responsibility. When asked how to harness the energy of protests, celebrities emphasized the importance of speaking out and the impact it has on others. “People feel safer when we come out and talk,” he said. “They feel like, ‘Okay, maybe I can give something of myself and be a part of it… and maybe I won’t feel so alone.'”
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Porter will be honored by the National Action Network, which Al Sharpton noted has previously honored figures such as Harry Belafonte and James Brown. With this recognition, Porter joins a lineage of artists who have used their platform to engage in political and social debate.
Still, his message Saturday was less about awareness and more about urgency.
“This is no ordinary resistance,” Porter said. “We need to redefine what it means to get high in this new world order. Our government doesn’t play by the rules.”
Watch the MS NOW interview with Billy Porter and Al Sharpton below.
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Source: Advocate.com – www.advocate.com
