Was This Band’s Concert Canceled Because One Member Is Gay?
Florida's Pensacola Christian College The King's Singers concert due to concerns about some of the members' sexual orientations.
A controversy emerged recently after The King’s Singers, a world-renowned a cappella group, claimed that Pensacola Christian College (PCC) in Florida canceled their concert hours before it was set to take place because of concerns about some of the members’ sexual orientations.
The group shared that they were “deeply saddened” by the college’s decision over the last-minute cancellation after the school cited concerns about the “lifestyle” of some members of the group.
The school revealed after the cancellation that it took the drastic step to cancel the concert outright after learning that one of the artists openly maintained a lifestyle that “contradicts Scripture.
The vocal group shared a message to fans on their Instagram to try and explain the situation, captioning the image simply, “Sharing information here about the short-notice cancellation of our recent concert in Florida.”
The King’s Singers’ baritone singer Christopher Bruerton described the cancellation as “surreal” to Insider. The group had already led a master class with two of the school’s choirs earlier in the day, and the members were already sound checking when they were informed that the concert was not to take place.
The singers reportedly asked PCC to clarify the reasoning behind the cancellation but were not provided any additional information at that time.
According to Bruerton, the band was later forced to conclude that the cancellation was because of one of the members’ social media posts about his relationship with another man.
The singer made sure to mention that the group had actually performed at PCC years prior with no issues or concerns being raised. They insist that they have always followed the school’s dress code and guidelines on what they could perform.
“The King’s Singers’ performances are all about bringing people together,” Bruerton stated to the publication. “We’ve always been respectful of that, and this program was no different,” he added. The band once released a project called Finding Harmony, the goal of which was to show that communities across the world and throughout time have come together over music.
In the aftermath of the incident, Bruerton said that The King’s Singers would still return to perform at PCC if the school accepts who they are as people without any conditions.
“Because our whole message is finding harmony and bringing people together, then if Pensacola would want to have us back, we would be only too happy to come back and perform a show,” he admitted.
Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.