US artists protest funder’s anti-diversity rules

Hundreds of artists in the US are calling on the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to reject the Trump administration’s orders that federal grants cannot be used to promote “diversity, equity and inclusion” or “gender ideology”.

The NEA now sets these limits on applicants for its grants, in line with executive orders made by the president this year.

According to ARTnews, more than 460 visual artists, dancers and poets have signed a letter protesting the restrictions.

In a document reviewed by the publication, artists urge the NEA to “reverse” its direction, saying that “abandoning our values is wrong, and it won’t protect us. Obedience in advance only feeds authoritarianism”.

A spokesperson for the NEA told the New York Times that it is a “longstanding legal requirement” that all federal grant recipients comply with “with applicable federal anti-discrimination laws, regulations and executive orders”.