JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens canceled a years-long partnership and pride dance party in response to reported security concerns, according to a statement from the museum.
The museum has hosted vendor Duval Folx, a pride dance party focused on including LGBTQ people of color and managed by Graciela “Geexella” Cain, as for an event the two have collaborated on since 2018.
Cain said their contract was terminated for a different reason: differing views on the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
“Earlier this month, the Cummer Museum received concerns from the community about the nature of Duval Folx’s statements regarding the devastating war in the Middle East,” said an emailed statement signed by museum director and CEO Andrea Barnwell Brownlee. “After an extensive review of recent event performances, public social media statements and a direct conversation with Duval Folx, we canceled the Duval Folx Dance Party this year.”
Cain summarized a phone call about the termination, saying it came after one person had seen a separate pro-Palestine event Duval Folx hosted at the Walrus in Murray Hill and reported it to the museum as making that individual uncomfortable.
Cain said their views on Palestine have remained the same and been publicly expressed since before the Hamas attack on a music festival on Oct. 7 in Israel spurred the war.
“Anti-Zionism does not mean anti-Semitism,” they said. “I made that explicitly clear that that’s not what I intend or have ever intended. The owner of the Walrus is a trans Jewish man who stands in solidarity with the work that I do, and he allowed me to have the pro-Palestinian event there.”
Cain, as Duval Folx, also published a news release and posted on Instagram saying: “In a state, where queer and trans people are being systematically erased from existence, it is no coincidence that the Cummer has banned Duval Folx. All too often institutions exploit Black queer femmes when it is profitable and dispose of us, our communities and our labor when that is no longer the case.”
The statement from the Cummer said its intentions had been “falsely characterized” and that it supported “the rights of all people to advocate for causes in which they believe and exercise free speech.”
“However, the statements and actions of Duval Folx impact other groups in our community, limit their feeling of safety and prohibit them from having welcoming experiences at the museum,” it added. “The senior leadership and Trustees of the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens are resolute in our focus.”
Cain said they didn’t understand safety concerns since they have “been doing this event since 2018,” adding that they never said it would be a pro-Palestine pride event specifically. Cain also acknowledged that being pro-Palestine is embedded in their political work, though, and can be seen across all their platforms but said they have never been exclusionary nor threatening toward Jewish people.
The statement from the Cummer also said the museum “works to ensure that it is a safe, welcoming and inviting place for all members of our community.”
“To that end, we seek to ensure that all our visitors, staff, partners, vendors and sponsors contribute to making the Cummer Museum a safe, welcoming and inviting place,” it said. “We understand that our decision is upsetting to some members of our community ... As an ally of the LGBTQIA+ community, we will continue to support the work to achieve equal justice and equal opportunity for all LGBTQIA+ people in the arts and beyond.”
With the event at the Cummer canceled, Cain is encouraging those who would have gone to the pride dance party to instead attend a pro-Palestine rally and subsequent dance party on the same day.
The rally will begin at 6 p.m. June 28 with artists and speakers sharing their work and support of LGBTQ people of color and a free Palestine, Cain said. Participants are encouraged to wear red and bring keffiyehs.
“At the time we started this, Black trans women were being murdered at the highest rate in the state in Jacksonville,” Cain said. “They are being murdered at such high rates still and especially in the South. All of our struggles are still interconnected.”
The dance party will follow starting at 9 p.m. at an undisclosed location, per the venue’s request, Cain said. Participants must register in advance at tinyurl.com/3b5k2nbz to receive the location. The registration fee is a sliding scale.
“The whole lineup is Black, trans and queer folks,” Cain said. “I’m just really excited because a lot of community members have really stepped up and are really supporting me. The community I have built, not just with myself but also with what Duval Folx has done, this reminded me of why I do this and why this has never been just a dance party.”
