Gay City was nominated this year for one of the Mayor’s Arts Awards, an annual city celebration of artists and organizations “enriching their communities through the arts.” But the Capitol Hill-based LGBTQ center won’t be attending because of allegations that Murray sexually abused several teens in the 1980s, including his foster son.
Murray denies the allegations. Though survivors, city council members, the LGBTQ Commission, and the Human Rights Commission have called on him to resign, the mayor has said he will stay in office through the end of his term in December.
That refusal “drastically changes the context of this year’s Mayor’s Arts Awards,” Gay City said in a statement posted on its Facebook page today.
“The driving force behind our Arts program is creating space to explore trauma, oppression, and resilience through art that centers trans people, people of color, and people with disabilities in the LGBTQ community,” the statement says. “Everything we do is guided by the belief that art is the voice, spirit and conscience of every community and is a vital tool for community reflection, dialogue and pride. We believe arts can be a community health intervention, and this is a moment that requires an intervention.”
Gay City’s current season of productions, including theater, dance, poetry, and other forms, includes artists who “explore the repercussions of surviving violence” and Gay City’s youth arts programs work with youth who have experienced the child welfare system, the organization states. “These are the people we are stepping up to stand beside.”
It is one of 12 finalists for an Arts Award this year. None of the other finalists have publicly stated that they plan to sit out the ceremony.
This post has been updated.
