Dignity Health announced that it has withdrawn from a sponsorship deal to put its name on Broadway Sacramento’s popular theater-in-the-round on H Street, bowing to concerns raised by members of Sacramento’s LGBTQ community in the two weeks since the health care giant announced the deal.

“We don’t want our partnership to become a distraction as Broadway Sacramento opens a new season,” said Laurie Harting, president of Dignity’s Greater Sacramento division, in a written statement late Friday. “After discussion with Broadway Sacramento and a number of community stakeholders, we have agreed that the best course is to find another way to support Broadway Sacramento’s work.”

Broadway Sacramento, formerly known as California Musical Theater, has long produced Broadway shows during the summer at its H Street arena stage in a series known as Broadway at Music Circus.

Richard Lewis, the chief executive officer of Broadway Sacramento, said: “Our goal has always been to elevate the work of the arts; however, it has become clear that there are some concerns about our partnership. Unfortunately, these concerns have begun to distract from this important work….”

Dignity Health has faced condemnation and lawsuits from transgender individuals facing denials for gender-affirming surgery and from women who are limited in what reproductive procedures they can receive at the company’s Catholic hospitals. Dignity abides by “ethical and religious directives” that have, for instance, prescribed restrictions for abortion, contraceptives, sterilization, and in vitro fertilization.

The above comes from a Nov. 9 story in the Sacramento Bee.