Pride To Be Suspended In Arlington, TX After City Council Scrubs LGBTQ Protections
North Texas’s largest Pride on hold after City Council fails to restore non-discrimination ordinance, fears clashing with Trump’s anti-DEI agenda.
Featured Image: via Arlington Pride Facebook
Following City Council’s rejection of a plan to ban discimination of LGBTQ+ people, Arlington Pride organizers have decided to suspend the June 2026 celebration. Since Arlington’s Pride flags first flew in 2021, the event has surged in numbers and strength, becoming the largest Pride gathering in North Texas. Last June, the all-day festival attracted 15,000 to the Levitt Pavilion for music, art, local food and performances – and to let the peacock feathers shine.
This weekend’s disappointing decision follows a 5-4 City Council vote on December 12, when Council members failed to enact a plan to enshrine protections for queers into the city ordinance. According to Dallas News, the outcome followed months of debate, delayed votes and heartfelt community requests to restore measures of protections for LGBTQ people. At stake: keeping an ordinance that had passed unanimously back in 2021, which banned discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity for housing, employment and public services; along with discrimination against race, religion, national origin, sex and disability.
The mood shifted a few months ago when the Council grew fearful of Donald J. Trump.
According to Dallas News, in September, the City Council suspended the ordinance amid worries about Trump’s vow to withhold money from cities with DEI initiatives – and concern that the city might lose over $60 million in federal funding. As a result of giving fear the upper hand, and throwing civil rights under the bus, Arlington has now earned a place among the first cities in the U.S. to repeal a nondiscrimination ordinance over fears of upsetting the Trump administration.
“We cannot in good conscience invite attendees to an event in a city that refuses to provide even the most basic protections,” said Deejay Johannessen, CEO of the HELP Center, which produces Arlington Pride. “Pride is about safety, celebration, and community. Without local anti-discrimination safeguards, we cannot guarantee those values for our attendees, performers, or partners.”
Related: Tampa Pride Cancels 2026 Celebration Over Political And Economic Challenges
While initial reporting suggested that Pride would be off the calendar entirely in 2026, on Saturday, organizers took to IG to reframe the decision as a suspension versus outright cancelation. They offered an expression of hope, while making it clear that “Arlington would not be used as a political prop… “
Arlington isn’t the only town delaying the start of the party out of concern for a Trump clash. Also this weekend, Metro Weekly reported that Capital Pride 2026 would be pushing its dates to June 20-21, out of safety concerns and to avoid conflicts with Trump’s June 14th birthday celebrations.
