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 The Tony Award-winning singer, best known for her roles in
the Broadway musicals "Dreamgirls" and "Your Arms Too Short to
Box with God," announced the cancellation in a letter first
published by The Wrap, an entertainment industry news website.
"I sincerely apologize for my lapse of judgment, for being
uneducated on the issues that affect every American at this
crucial time in history and for causing such dismay and
heartbreak to my fans," Holliday said in the letter, which was
released to Reuters by her representatives.
Holliday was not scheduled to perform at Friday's inauguration
itself but at an event at the Lincoln Memorial the night before
called the "Make America Great Again! Welcome Celebration." Also
scheduled to appear are country music star Toby Keith, rock band
3 Doors Down and Oscar-winning actor Jon Voight.
The Trump transition team referred questions to the Presidential
Inaugural Committee, which did not comment directly on
Holliday's letter.
"As Americans from across the country unite to celebrate the
58th Presidential Inaugural, we are humbled by the outpouring of
support we are receiving and are honored to have so many
world-class performers taking part in this historic celebration
of freedom and democracy," Boris Epshteyn, director of
communications for the Presidential Inaugural Committee, said in
a written statement.
In a column for the Daily Beast website, entertainment reporter
Kevin Fallon called Holliday a gay icon for her work on Broadway
and said that Trump had surrounded himself with politicians who
vocally oppose lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights.
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 "For the gay community that has bolstered Holliday’s, in her
own words, embattled and difficult career, and cheered on her
recent successes, the news (of Holliday's planned performance)
feels like a betrayal. It is heartbreaking," Fallon wrote.
In her letter, Holliday wrote that she had originally agreed to
perform for Trump as a "bi-partisan songbird" who had sung for four
presidents, both Republican and Democratic, dating back to Ronald
Reagan.
"I was honestly just thinking that I wanted my voice to be a
healing and unifying force for hope through music to help our deeply
polarized country," Holliday wrote.
"Regretfully, I did not take into consideration that my performing
for the concert would actually instead be taken as a political act
against my own personal beliefs and be mistaken for support of
Donald Trump and Mike Pence," she said.
In addition to her career on Broadway, Holliday has found success on
the pop charts and as a Gospel singer.
She won a Tony Award in 1982 for her role as Effie White in the
original production of "Dreamgirls" and two Grammy Awards later that
decade.
(Additional reporting by Timothy Gardner in Washington; Editing by
Tom Brown and Matthew Lewis)
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