MACYNSKI: I challenged a 'Queer Wedding' skit at St. Olaf's family concert

The viola section of the St. Olaf Orchestra scrapped a planned “queer wedding” skit during this year’s Family Concert after I raised concerns about whether the performance was appropriate for a children’s event and whether it conflicted with my Catholic beliefs.

The orchestra—one of the nation’s strongest college ensembles—rehearses three times a week plus weekend sectionals. It routinely prepares programs in under two months. In other words, the expectation is serious musical focus, not ideological detours. After each Family Concert, however, instrument groups traditionally perform short skits meant to highlight each section’s character.

This year, the viola section initially proposed a performance featuring two male students acting as spouses. “The idea was to have both of us wear a bowtie and a bridal veil,” one violist said. “It was meant to be lighthearted and inclusive.”

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My first concern was simple: the concert is advertised for families, and the theme was guaranteed to divide the room. When I mentioned that some audience members might find it controversial, a few players told me they hoped to “trigger Fox News viewers.” 

Their response made clear that the skit had shifted away from humor and toward deliberate provocation—a dynamic increasingly common in campus culture, where political signaling often overshadows the stated purpose of an event.

Unsure how to move forward, I first talked with my parents, who urged me not to turn the skit into a point of conflict. Because of the mistreatment I’ve faced due to my autism, it might be better not to turn this into an issue, they suggested. But even after that conversation, the situation weighed on me. 

St. Olaf’s roots as a Lutheran institution include a stated respect for students’ religious convictions, yet I felt caught between that principle and the expectation to participate. 

Wanting perspective rather than escalation, I met with Father Louis Floeder at St. Dominic’s Catholic Church. Our conversation wasn’t about fighting anyone; it was about how to stay honest with my beliefs while remaining respectful to those around me. He encouraged me to think carefully about whether participating would leave me at odds with my own conscience. 

That discussion clarified what had been bothering me from the start: I was being asked to take part in something that placed me in conflict with my faith in a setting where disagreement wasn’t expected.

At that point, I could no longer ignore the conflict. I notified orchestra director Dr. Chung Park, who said I could opt out of the skit. Before that solution settled, a section leader said she wanted “everyone to be comfortable” and asked what would need to change for me to participate. I answered honestly: I could only join if all LGBTQ-themed elements were removed.

To her credit, this brought the group together and persuaded them to abandon the idea altogether. They rewrote the sketch into a “food wedding,” complete with banana, fish, and corn costumes—a harmless, genuinely light-hearted alternative. The section went on to win first place in the Instrument Section Competition.

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A high-level musical ensemble functions best when it avoids turning required activities into ideological displays. The original skit became a vehicle for some students to push a cultural message—and even to antagonize classmates they disagreed with. The revised version allowed everyone to participate without violating personal convictions or derailing the concert’s family-friendly purpose.

When controversial political themes are inserted into mandatory group settings, they create unnecessary division and undermine the shared goals of the community. Setting those themes aside didn’t harm the viola section—in fact, it helped it succeed.

And in this case, it demonstrated that principled, civil conversation can still resolve conflicts on campus.

Editorials and op-eds reflect the opinion of the authors and not necessarily that of Campus Reform or the Leadership Institute.