Rockettes member: Dancing for Trump would betray our LGBT colleagues

An anonymous member of the Rockettes has cited the Trump administration’s growing anti-LGBT agenda as a reason why she doesn’t want to perform at his inauguration.

The Rockettes, the world-famous dance troupe that perform at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, have been booked to perform at Donald Trump’s inauguration next month.

The decision has led to a row between dancers and managers – and despite official statements suggesting the performance will be “voluntary”, some of the dancers fear they will lose their jobs if they sit out the event.

In an interview with Marie Claire, one member of the dance group said she performing would be a betrayal of her LGBT colleagues.

She said: “It’s the ensemble. It’s the people in our wardrobe and hair department, some of whom are transgender.

“These are our friends and our family, who we’ve worked with for years. It’s a basic human-rights issue.

“We have immigrants in the show. I feel like dancing for Trump would be disrespecting the men and women who work with us, the people we care about.”

The Rockette, who did not want to be identified for fear of losing her job, added: “This is not a Republican or Democrat issue – this is a women’s rights issue. This is an issue of racism and sexism, something that’s much bigger than politics.”

She also warned that associating with the Trump administration may tarnish the decades-old brand.

The dancer said: “This is making our show, our job, our name, branded as right-wing. An extreme right-wing.

“There’s a reason why everyone else is turning this down. Why are we not?”

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