The arts community remains a hostile environment for conservatives. Consider the case of Scott Eckern, until recently the artistic director of the California Musical Theatre. He committed the unpardonable sin of supporting traditional marriage and contributed money to the Proposition 8 campaign.
Scott is now looking for a new job. The board of the California Musical Theatre reportedly planned an emergency session when it learned that it would be on the receiving end of a boycott. It was spared having to make a principled decision when Scott resigned.
“I am leaving California Musical Theatre after prayerful consideration to protect the organization and to help the healing in the local theatre-going and creative community,” he said. “I am disappointed that my personal convictions have cost me the opportunity to do what I love the most.”
He goes on to say this is “a highly emotional issue and the accusations that have been made against me are simply not true. I have now had many conversations with friends and colleagues, and I am deeply saddened that my personal beliefs and convictions have offended others. My choice to support the proposition was personal, and does not represent the views and opinions of California Musical Theatre or the many people associated with the organization.”
The California Musical Theatre claims that it does not “involve itself in political issues or ever impinge on the rights of its employees to engage in political activities of their choice.” Nor does it stand up for the rights of its employees to have conservative views.
But that doesn’t tell the whole tale. In fact this supposedly apolitical theater sought immediately to associate itself with the other side. Bizjournals reported on Tuesday:
“This is a crisis,” said Chris Bower, spokesman for the theater company, which puts on Music Circus shows, presents the Broadway Series at the Community Center Theatre and has just launched the musical Forever Plaid at the new K Street performing arts venue Cosmopolitan Cabaret.
“Any political action or opinion of Scott Eckern is not shared by California Musical Theatre. We have a long history of appreciation for the lesbian gay bisexual transgender community and are truly grateful for their long-standing support. We acknowledge the dedication, patronage, and hard work of the many members of the LGBT community who have played a crucial role in our success. Our only mission is to present quality theatrical productions to enrich the cultural life of the community,” the company said in a prepared release.
The people opposing Proposition 8 have the same right to voice their opinion and organize as anyone else. Let’s be clear: it is not censorship or McCarthyism (labels frequently applied to conservatives) when private citizens exert political pressure. This crowd, however, is not offended by the theater, but rather by one of its employees, and the threatened boycott is aimed purely at causing the organization to retaliate by firing him. They will use the public reports of campaign contributions to create a blacklist, and their actions are ugly, and despicable, and very intolerant.
