Protest scheduled at Tivoli Theatre church for declining to show LGBTQ films, plays
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By Deion Broxton
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UNIVERSITY CITY, Missouri (KMOV) — A protest is scheduled against a Delmar Loop church for electing not to show films and plays viewed as pro-LGBTQ.
Organizers with Tower Grove Pride have scheduled a protest for Friday to rally against One Family Church in the Delmar Loop. One Family Church owns the historic Tivoli Theatre on Delmar Boulevard.
The previous owner, Landmark Theatres, sold Tivoli Theatre to One Family Church during the pandemic in 2021. One Family Church has held services at the Theatre for 12 years.
Before One Family Church bought the Theatre, the previous owners would host pro-LGBTQ events, one included a play of the cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show every October. A musical comedy about a cross-dressing mad scientist.
One Family Church told First Alert 4 those kinds of films don’t align with the church’s religious beliefs.
“The Tower Grove Pride leaders are insisting that we show Rocky Horror Picture Show and other programming like that,” lead pastor Brent Roam said. “That’s just not who we are. That’s not our mission. We are not anti- anybody. We love everybody irrespective of their sexual orientation. Instead of protesting on the street, why don’t you come party in the Theatre.”
“The One Family Church taking over a space that our community has used for decades,” said Angelo Ossessivo, co-founder of Tower Grove Pride. “It doesn’t matter how nice of a person you are if you’re doing things that harm the community and exclude the community. It is our duty and it is about the survival of community itself to always standup and to make it clear that it’s not OK with us. They’re absolutely free to do anything they want with the space that they own as long as it follows the law, but we also have a freedom of speech right to tell people that we don’t like it.”
Tower Grove Pride leaders met with Pastor Roam before, but no progress was made, according to Ossessivo.
Friday’s protest is scheduled to start at 6 p.m.
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