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. 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." "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 only know I could never 'throw roses to Hitler'," she wrote. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir accepted an invitation to sing at Trump's inauguration last week. 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. 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." 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."
– 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."