A Justice Department official said the agency is investigating Fort Worth police after confrontations between officers and Christian street preachers outside a Pride festival last month sparked outrage.
In a series of videos posted online, officers are seen threatening to issue citations to the preachers for offensive speech.
An officer told a preacher they could be arrested if they try to preach within the barricades of the Trinity Pride festival. Another said that misgendering someone, or calling them by their biological rather than preferred pronoun, could be considered offensive speech and cited. One preacher was cited for a noise violation.
“If someone is offended by your talking,” an officer said, “then we have a problem.”
Videos of the confrontations circulated widely on social media and were shared by several conservative and far-right accounts, including Libs of TikTok and Bo French, who is running for Texas Railroad Commissioner. Some urged the department to fire the officers for violating the preachers’ freedom of speech.
On X, an official with the U.S. Justice Department shared a video of one of the encounters Friday and said the agency is looking into the case.
“Troubling,” wrote Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights. “Our civil rights team is on it.”
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to an email Saturday from The Dallas Morning News asking for additional details. Organizers of Pride also did not respond to emails or phone calls over the weekend.
Fort Worth police said in a statement that videos circulating captured only a portion of the interactions between officers and preachers. The department said that one officer made inaccurate statements.
In response, the city plans to provide refresher training to officers and trainees on First Amendment protections involving free speech and protesters, the department said.
“FWPD remains committed to protecting the constitutional rights of all individuals, regardless of the content or viewpoint of their speech,” the statement said.
Trinity Pride drew thousands of revelers to South Main Street in Fort Worth the last Saturday in June with a street march, live music, food trucks and vendor market.
Rich Penkoski, 49, who lives in the town of Canyon near Amarillo, said he came to Fort Worth to spread his gospel to festivalgoers.
In a phone interview, Penkoski told The News he was disappointed but not surprised by the interactions with officers. Cities across the country have tried to suppress free speech of street preachers, he said.
“We have a biblical command to warn people about sin,” said Penkoski, who leads the online ministry Warriors for Christ. “The LGBTQ don’t like us. They don’t want to hear the truth.”
David Grisham, 65, who founded the evangelical group Repent Amarillo, used a bullhorn to deliver his message that people can choose to not be gay.
“God can change you. You can repent and be born again,” Grisham said he preached. “They hate that message, but it’s what our faith says.”
The American Medical Association is opposed to conversion therapy, which refers to interventions meant to change someone’s sexual orientation. Such interventions can lead to an increase in depression, anxiety and suicidal behaviors, it says.
Nearby businesses complained Grisham was disrupting their operations with the bullhorn, and police warned him he would be cited for disorderly conduct. He continued using the horn and received a noise violation, which comes with a fine up to $500.
The men said they are considering suing the city for violating their freedom of speech. Grisham previously sued the city of Fort Worth in a similar case, alleging in 2015 his civil rights were violated when he was banned from a sidewalk during a Pride festival.
That case was settled in favor of Grisham, who received $1 from the city.
Related: Texas banned rainbow crosswalks. LGBTQ community searches for alternatives around Dallas
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