This Texas City Just Rolled Back LGBTQ Protections It Previously Approved
The Arlington City Council’s narrow vote makes it one of the few cities in the country to reverse LGBTQ protections already in place.
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A months-long debate over LGBTQ protections in Arlington, Texas came to a head Tuesday night as the City Council voted 5 to 4 not to reinstate the city’s suspended anti-discrimination ordinance. Mayor Jim Ross announced the outcome to a tense chamber. “The motion fails. The anti-discrimination ordinance will remain suspended until further action by the council,” he said.
The ordinance, adopted in 2021, banned discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations, including on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. It was suspended in September after city staff warned Arlington could risk federal funding under Trump-era threats related to diversity and inclusion programs. That claim continued to face scrutiny. “This came up because our legal department tried to protect the city of Arlington,” Councilmember Bowie Hogg said, while LGBTQ advocates insisted there had never been a real threat. “The city has received no correspondence, no information, nothing threatening any money. So, our position is no federal funding was ever at risk,” said DeeJay Johannessen, CEO of the Help Center for LGBTQ+ Health.
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Dozens of residents filled the council chamber and overflow areas, most asking the city to restore the original protections. Thirty-four speakers supported reinstatement. “This is our lives on the line, and I don’t want to have to leave my home and everything I love,” resident Keegan Dees said, according to the Dallas News. Another, Philip Lupo, pleaded, “If we deny someone protection based on who they love and identify as, we are harming them.” Johannessen also warned that without a local ordinance, discrimination could legally widen. “A restaurant could say, ‘women are not allowed to eat here, LGBT people are not allowed to eat here,’” he said.
Opponents urged the council to avoid legal exposure and align with state leaders. “Reinstating this ordinance, with a gender ideology definition, would be signaling a rejection of the direction of both the state of Texas and the Trump administration,” said Jonathan Covey of Texas Values. “The city of Arlington, do your job. Taxpayers didn’t elect you to take ideological stands that legally expose the city.”
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Some council members who opposed reinstatement spoke about practical concerns. “The more I looked at it, the more I noticed this ordinance is just plain bad policy,” said Councilmember Rebecca Boxall. “From the very beginning, the very inception of this, it was unenforceable at the city level … It does not offer protection.” Others touted unity even in disagreement. “Regardless of how the vote turns out tonight, we aren’t going to discriminate against anyone, because discrimination is wrong,” Councilmember Long Pham said. “I love you guys. We’re better together.”
Mayor Ross, who voted to restore the ordinance, expressed disappointment but promised continued commitment to inclusion. “This has not been easy. We’ve had very heated discussions,” he said. “Despite the vote tonight, Arlington remains committed to fostering an inclusive community for all residents and ensuring no one individual faces discrimination.”
But as it stands, LGBTQ residents who experience discrimination now cannot turn to the city for help, leaving Arlington one of the few American cities to roll back such protections after putting them in place.
