ARLINGTON, Texas — Arlington Pride may look different next year after the city council voted 5-4 against reinstating protections for LGBTQ+ residents previously included in the city’s anti-discrimination ordinance.
Opponents and supporters of the protections addressed the council in a packed meeting that included emotional testimony before the decision was made last week, according to a report from the Dallas Morning News.
Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Raul Gonzalez and council members Rebecca Boxall, Mauricio Galante, Long Pham, Bowie Hogg voted against reinstating the protections. Those who voted in favor of the protections include Arlington Mayor Jim Ross, Mayor Pro Tem Barbara Odom-Wesley and council members Andrew Piel and Nikkie Hunter.
Now, one of the largest Pride celebrations in North Texas is reconsidering plans for next year’s festivities.
After Tuesday’s vote, DeeJay Johannessen, CEO of the HELP Center for LGBTQ+ Health, said in a post on Instagram that the 2026 Arlington Pride event was suspended. The HELP Center hosts Arlington Pride.
“We cannot in good conscience invite attendees to an event in a city that refuses to provide even the most basic protections…Without local anti-discrimination safeguards, we cannot guarantee those values for our attendees, performers or partners,” Johannessen said.
The post received mixed reactions, with some users saying the event should still go on in protest of the city council’s decision.
Over the weekend, Johannessen released another statement addressing opposition to his decision to cancel the event. He clarified that there will be a Pride event in 2026, but it may be on a different day.
“My strong hope is that it [the Pride event] will be in Arlington—just not on June 6…What we will not do is play along—smile, entertain, and hope you like us while our rights are stripped away,” Johannessen said.
He went on to say that while he expects the issue to be resolved by June, he won’t risk attendees’ safety by hosting the event at the steps of Arlington City Hall.
The anti-discrimination ordinance, passed by city council in 2021, prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in housing, employment and public services. The employment and public service provisions also extended to protect individuals from discrimination based on race, religion, national origin, sex and disability. Arlington City Council had temporarily suspended the ordinance in September over fears of losing $60 million in federal funding.
This year’s Arlington Pride was the largest Pride celebration in the city’s history, according to organizers. It broke attendance records with 15,600 attendees — nearly twice as many as the year before — and featured appearances from several former “RuPaul’s Drag Race” contestants.