"CEO DeeJay Johannessen said that the decision was made in the name of safety. "We cannot in good conscience invite attendees to an event in a city that refuses to provide even the most basic protections," Johannessen said in a statement. "Pride is about safety, celebration, and community. Without local anti-discrimination safeguards, we cannot guarantee those values for our attendees, performers, or patrons.""
"The rule previously shielded LGBTQ+ people against "any direct or indirect exclusion, distinction, segregation, limitation, refusal, denial, or other differentiation in the treatment of a person or persons" in employment, housing, health care, and beyond. Trump officials threatened in August to revoke $65 million in federal grant money from the city if it did not remove language related to diversity, equity, and inclusion from its municipal code."
Arlington Pride, hosted by the HELP Center for LGBTQ+ Health, suspended its 2026 event after the city council voted to remove "gender identity and expression" and "sexual orientation" from the local antidiscrimination ordinance. The HELP Center CEO cited safety concerns and the inability to guarantee protections for attendees, performers, and patrons. The ordinance had been temporarily suspended since August amid threats from the Trump administration. The council voted 5-4 to permanently repeal the protections despite several members favoring reinstatement. Trump officials had threatened to withhold $65 million in federal grants, and Arlington and Fort Worth ended DEI programs and rewrote ordinances.
Read at Advocate.com
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