Petition Wants Met Gala To Support Gays
The NY Times reports: ‘The furor over Russia’s new law placing restrictions on the discussion of homosexuality has spread to the world of classical music, with some opera fans calling on the Metropolitan Opera to dedicate its opening-night gala performance of Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin†to the support of gay people.’ (Anna Netrebko, who will star, is pictured.) An online petition, referring to what the organizer calls “Putin’s recent laws against homosexual people and those who support them†and to Tchaikovsky’s suffering because of his homosexuality, is calling on the Met to dedicate its Russian-theme opening night to the support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people. One of the signatures is from my friend Barlett Sher, who has directed several productions at the Met. He said: ‘“I saw it as a chance for everyone who loves opera, and all of us who work in it, to stand up to a pig and a dictator, against a terrible position and a terrible man.’
