The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, as seen in this 2011 photo. Courtesy of Intellectual Reserve. 
 
 The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, as seen in this 2011 photo. Courtesy of Intellectual Reserve. 
 
 IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) - Update 6:55 p.m.: Nevada Senator, and member of the LDS Church, Harry Reid, says he supports Jan Chamberlin, a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir who resigned over the decision to perform at next month's inauguration of President-elect Trump. 
 
 In a statement to the Salt Lake Tribune, Reid said "I understand completely the difficult choice Jan had to make. She loves the choir, she loves to sing, she loves to promote the values she holds dear, and she loves her church — the same church that Trump's top adviser, Steve Bannon, mocked when he ridiculed Mitt Romney's sons." 
 
 ORIGINAL STORY: A member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir has resigned saying she cannot perform at the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump and look herself "in the mirror again with self-respect." 
 
 In a letter to the choir president that she later posted on Facebook, Jan Chamberlin said she has spent many sleepless nights dwelling over whether to perform or not. 
 
 "I have reflected carefully on both sides of the issue, prayed a lot, talked with family and friends, and searched my soul," Chamberlin wrote. "I have highly valued the mission of the Choir to be goodwill ambassadors for Christ, to share beautiful music and to give hope, inspiration, and comfort to others. I’ve tried to tell myself that it will be alright and that I can continue in good conscience before God and man." 
 
 The Mormon Tabernacle Choir accepted an invitation to sing at Trump's inauguration last week. The decision has sparked a firestorm of comments among members of the church and thousands of signatures on an online petition demanding the church reverse its decision. 
 
 In her Facebook posting, Chamberlin wrote the decision to not perform is based on her faith and moral standing. 
 
 "I only know I could never 'throw roses to Hitler'," she wrote. "And I certainly could never sing for him." 
 
 The church said in an announcement last week that participation in the inauguration is not required, and is not a political statement but rather a "demonstration of our support for freedom, civility and the peaceful transition of power." 
 
 Chamberlin says since her posting of the resignation letter, she has received several messages of hate. ||||| But she could not do it, Chamberlin said in the letter, she later posted on Facebook. "I could never look myself in the mirror again with self-respect." 
 
 The choir's participation in the inauguration would "severely damage" its "image and networking," she said, adding that many "good people throughout this land and throughout the world already do and will continue to feel betrayed. ... I know that I too feel betrayed." 
 
 For the singer, it is a moral issue, she wrote. "I only know I could never 'throw roses to Hitler.' And I certainly could never sing for him." 
 
 Chamberlin, who said she has been with the choir for five years, did not respond to interview requests and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints declined to comment on her status in the famed group or on how many others might have dropped out or complained. 
 
 "Participation in the choir, including the performance at the Inauguration, is voluntary," church spokesman Eric Hawkins reiterated in a statement Thursday. "Only a limited number of choir members are participating (the number is limited by the inaugural committee), and none are required to participate." 
 
 LDS leaders announced the decision to perform last week. Not all 360 singers will make the trip, but church officials have said about 215 are expected to volunteer. 
 
 The choir previously sang at swearing-in ceremonies for George H. W. Bush (1989), Richard Nixon (1969) and Lyndon Johnson (1965). It performed in inaugural parades for George W. Bush (2001), George H. W. Bush (1989) and Ronald Reagan (1981). 
 
 Soon after the announcement about the choir's appearance at Trump's Jan. 20 event, Randall Thacker, a lifetime Mormon and past president of Affirmation, a support organization for gay Latter-day Saints, launched a petition, arguing the choir's participation "does not reflect the values of Mormonism and does not represent its diverse 15-plus million members worldwide." 
 
 By Thursday, it had nearly 19,000 signatures, most of whom reportedly are Mormons from across the U.S. and around the globe. Many expressed being "saddened and perplexed" by the decision to send the choir and urged LDS leaders to reconsider. 
 
 Meanwhile, choir members who have concerns about Trump or their participation could opt not to put their names into the lottery used to select those to perform. 
 
 Response to the choir's appearance "has been mixed, with people expressing both opposition and support," Hawkins said last week in a prepared statement. 
 
 The choir's long tradition of performing for presidents "is not an implied support of party affiliations or politics," he said. "It is a demonstration of our support for freedom, civility and the peaceful transition of power." 
 
 pstack@sltrib.com 
 
 Twitter: @religiongal ||||| FILE - In this Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013, file photo, the Rockettes perform before the lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in New York. The Radio City Rockettes have been assigned to dance... (Associated Press) 
 
 NEW YORK (AP) — The Radio City Rockettes will be dancing at President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration next month, but not everyone is kicking up their heels at the booking. 
 
 One of the famed dancers took to Instagram to say she was "embarrassed and disappointed" by the gig, triggering calls for a boycott by some on social media. Critics have posted the phone numbers of the dancers' union and the Rockettes' employer to urge complaints. 
 
 But Madison Square Garden Co., which employs the dancers, said Friday no dancers are being compelled to attend the event. 
 
 "For a Rockette to be considered for an event, they must voluntarily sign up and are never told they have to perform at a particular event, including the inaugural," the company said in a statement. "It is always their choice. In fact, for the coming inauguration, we had more Rockettes request to participate than we have slots available." 
 
 Many on social media believed attendance was mandatory, including Julissa Sabino, a performer who is part of the union, who tweeted that the issue "breaks my heart" and urged supporters to "help these ladies." Autumn Withers, a former Rockette, supported a boycott, saying "take a knee, ladies!" 
 
 The American Guild of Variety Artists, which represents the Rockettes, has not publicly responded. Many Rockettes — there are 80 women employed for the Christmas show, split into two casts — are employed year-round and also appear in a summer show that debuted this year. 
 
 The Rockettes, who have performed at Radio City Music Hall since the 1930s, have previously appeared in Super Bowl halftime shows, Macy's Thanksgiving Day parades and George W. Bush's inaugurations in 2001 and 2005. 
 
 The dancers who choose to attend will join The Mormon Tabernacle Choir at the swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 20. Earlier this month, Trump's inaugural committee announced that "America's Got Talent" star Jackie Evancho will be singing the national anthem at the ceremony. 
 
 The presence of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, which has performed at several past inaugurations, hasn't been met with universal applause. 
 
 Former choir member John Bonner, for one, said he was shocked and upset when he heard the news. 
 
 "I expect the church to stand on their moral high ground," Bonner told KUTV in Salt Lake City. An online petition calls on the group to re-consider. 
 
 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints acknowledged that the response to the announcement has been mixed, though church spokesman Eric Hawkins said in a statement that the appearance is a demonstration of support for the office rather than party affiliations or politics. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits
– It's not only the Rockettes who were upset to learn they'd be performing for the 45th US president. Thousands of people have signed a petition asking the Mormon Tabernacle Choir to rescind its acceptance of an invitation to perform at Donald Trump's inauguration next month, and now a singer says she's opted to quit the choir in protest, reports the Salt Lake Tribune. In a resignation letter posted to Facebook, Jan Chamberlin says she weighed the decision over "several sleepless nights and days [spent] in turmoil and agony" but determined "I could never look myself in the mirror again with self-respect" if she agreed to perform. "I only know I could never 'throw roses to Hitler.' And I certainly could never sing for him," she writes. Just as the Rockettes aren't required to perform, neither are the 360 choir members, only 215 of whom will perform based on a lottery system; it's up to members to submit their names. But Chamberlin—who's received hateful messages since her resignation, per KIFI—says "it will appear that [the] choir is endorsing tyranny and facism [sic] by singing for this man." The petition, signed by more than 20,000 so far, adds that the move "does not reflect the values of Mormonism and does not represent its diverse 15+ million members worldwide." A rep for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, however, says the performance is "a demonstration of our support for freedom, civility, and the peaceful transition of power" and "not an implied support of party affiliations or politics."