Artists Urge NEA to Reverse Trump-Era Policy

More than 460 artists have sent a letter to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), urging it to reverse compliance with executive orders from President Donald Trump that prohibit federal grants for programs promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) or gender ideology. The letter, organized by theater director Annie Dorsen, argues that these changes betray the NEA's mission to benefit all Americans through the arts. This policy shift results from executive orders requiring adherence to anti-discrimination laws interpreted to exclude DEI initiatives and recognize only two genders. Prominent signatories include playwrights Lynn Nottage and Paula Vogel, along with performance artist Holly Hughes, known for her involvement in the NEA Four controversy. The NEA has yet to respond publicly to the letter, which emphasizes the artists' belief that compliance with these orders only feeds authoritarianism. Artists argue that Trump's policies mischaracterize the support for marginalized artists as discrimination, threatening free speech and artistic expression.