Jennifer Holliday has reportedly canceled plans to perform during the inaugural welcome concert Thursday.
She issued a letter to The Wrap announcing her decision to appear at the event on the of Donald Trump‘s inauguration was a “lapse in judgement.”
Holliday, who has won Tony and Grammy awards, said she was “uneducated on the issues that affect every American at this crucial time in history and for causing such dismay and heartbreak to my fans.”
She said she came to the decision after reading a story on the Daily Beast titled, titled, “Jennifer Holliday Will Perform at Trump’s Inauguration, Which Is Heartbreaking to Gay Fans.”
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Holiday’s letter also noted, “My only choice must now be to stand with the LGBT Community and to state unequivocally that I WILL NOT PERFORM FOR THE WELCOME CONCERT OR FOR ANY OF THE INAUGURATION FESTIVITIES!”
Holliday ends her letter telling her LGBTQ fans: “Please know that I HEAR YOU and I feel your pain. The LGBT Community was mostly responsible for birthing my career and I am deeply indebted to you… You have loved me faithfully and unconditionally and for so many years you provided me with work even though my star had long since faded.”
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Holiday was to perform at an inauguration event on Jan. 19 as part of a bill which included Toby Keith, 3 Doors Down and Lee Greenwood.
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Holliday, who was a Hillary Clinton supporter during the election, saw her appearance as an opportunity to perform for the crowd rather than for Trump.
“I didn’t see it as singing for Trump; I saw it as singing for the people on the mall,” Holliday told the Associated Press.
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She was met with an angry response to her initial decision as some pushed for a boycott as others called her an “Uncle Tom.” Some went so far as to suggest she should take her own life.
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“It just really made my heart drop to my feet,” Holliday told the Associated Press Friday. “How could I have this much hate spewing at me, and I haven’t even done anything? I guess it’s not like those old days when political views were your own and you had freedom of speech. … We live in a different time now, and a decision to go and do something for America is not so clear-cut anymore.”
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