The TEAM stands in solidarity with National Queer Theater, The Theater Offensive, Rhode Island Latino Arts, and Theatre Communications Group, who are challenging the National Endowment for the Arts’ new Assurances of Compliance, represented by the ACLU. Read more here: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/06/theater/nea-aclu-gender-lawsuit.html
Like these four organizations, The TEAM believes that Executive Orders 14168 (gender ideology) and 14173 (DEI), from which the new Assurances of Compliance are derived, are illegal and unconstitutional. We have ALREADY seen legal action bring temporary relief from EO 14173, thanks to the Maryland vs. USDS case, and we are hopeful this suit against the NEA will bring relief against EO 14168. That said…
We will NOT accept funding from the NEA that requires us to comply with unconstitutional and bigoted guidelines—AND we will NOT comply in advance by self-censoring.
Here is what we WILL do:
- We WILL oppose the new NEA guidelines by filing Part 1 of the application and asserting, in the projection description field: “Though we agreed to the certification above (because it is necessary to submit this application), we want to make clear that we do not agree with and assert our objection to the ‘promote gender ideology’ prohibition as illegal and unconstitutional.” The new NEA guidelines are designed to encourage self-censorship, and we refuse to comply in advance.
- We WILL stand in solidarity with the communities being targeted by these Executive Orders.
- We WILL continue to support the work of Trans and Queer artists and/or thrive as Trans and Queer artists ourselves.
- We WILL continue to collaboratively create excellent new plays, entrust artists with new work funding through our Petri program, and manifest the society WE want to live in through our art and our producing practices.
- We WILL champion dynamic work that complicates and enlarges our understanding of the world, rather than soothing us into any single narrative of human existence.
- We WILL build coalitions amongst the broad and rich communities of artists and art-lovers across our country and with their help, we WILL fight for the retention of our constitutional rights to making said art, alongside our brave peers at NQT, RILA, TCG, and TTO.
The voices of artists will continue to survive and transcend any single administration. We will remain steadfast in maintaining the integrity of ours.
In Solidarity,
The TEAM
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/06/theater/nea-aclu-gender-lawsuit.html