AR: Walton Arts Center board members resign after CEO declines to host drag events aimed at minors
Six members of the Walton Arts Center Board of Directors announced their resignations Friday afternoon in light of the center’s decision not to host drag events for minors during Northwest Arkansas Pride celebrations next month.
“After careful consideration, we are compelled by our consciences to make this decision,” board secretary and treasurer Casey Hamaker wrote in an email to reporters.
Anne O’Leary-Kelly, Jody Dilday, Lia Uribe, Mervin Jebaraj and Cal Rose joined Hamaker in resigning. O’Leary-Kelly and Uribe were co-chairs of the board’s diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging committee, and Dilday and Rose were committee members. Additionally, O’Leary-Kelly was one of the 22-member board’s five vice chairs.
A seventh board member, Shabana Kauser, also resigned Friday. She did not respond by publication time to an email asking if her resignation was related to the center’s drag decision.
The nonprofit Northwest Arkansas Equality announced May 10 that the city-owned arts center decided not to host “content-appropriate drag story time” or “drag shows suitable for teens,” which make up the LGBTQ+ advocacy organization’s “Youth Zone” during Pride festivities the last weekend in June. Youth Zone events will be held at the Fayetteville Town Center instead.
At the time, Walton Arts Center officials told the Arkansas Advocate that the “decision was made in the interest of safety concerns for performers, patrons and staff” in light of “divisive political rhetoric.” The center will still host other drag events.
https://arkansasadvocate.com/2023/05/19/walton-arts-center-board-members-resign-after-ceo-declines-to-host-drag-events-aimed-at-minors/
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