Texas church addresses its homophobic remake of Hamilton
McAllen, Texas - The Texas church that performed a version of the Broadway hit Hamilton laced with overtly religious and homophobic references has issued a full apology.
On Tuesday, pastor Roman Gutierrez posted on The Door McAllen church's Instagram page, apologizing to Lin-Manuel Miranda, the show's creator, and his team for the unauthorized production.
Gutierrez also admitted to not going through the proper channels to reproduce the show,.
"The Door Christian Fellowship McAllen Church did not ask for, or receive, a license from the producers or creators of Hamilton to produce, stage, replicate or alter any part of Hamilton," the statement continues. "Nor did we seek prior permission to alter Lin-Manuel Miranda’s work by changing the music, the lyrics, deleting songs, and adding dialogue."
"It is never permissible to alter an artistic work such as Hamilton without legal permission," he adds. "Our ministry will use this moment as a learning opportunity about protected artistic works and intellectual property."
Pastors encouraged people to pray the gay away
The reproduction came under fire after clips of the show went viral on social media, which included rewritten songs and dialogue that pushed a strong religious message.
The show also concluded with a speech from pastor Gutierrez during which he said those "struggling with homosexuality" should pray to God for help.
The team behind the original Hamilton were forced to issue a "cease and desist" letter to the church, promising to take legal action if they didn't cooperate.
Pastor Roman Gutierrez concluded by promising to "never stage the performance again," and vowing to "pay damages for our actions."
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