ARLINGTON, Texas—The annual Arlington Pride event seeks to move elsewhere for 2026 as the Arlington City Council approved a new anti-discrimination ordinance that does not include LGBTQ+ protections.
In December 2025, the Arlington City Council, in fear of losing federal funding, voted 5-4 to uphold a suspension on discrimination protections for citizens who identify as LGBTQ+. The council had temporarily suspended the ordinance in September. In February, the council approved a new anti-discrimination ordinance that does not include protections for LGBTQ+ individuals.
In light of the December vote, HELP Center–the host of Arlington Pride–announced it was suspending the 2026 event, prioritizing the safety of attendees and protections for Arlington residents.
“We cannot, in good conscience, invite attendees to an event in a city that refuses to provide even the most basic protections,” Deejay Johannessen, CEO of the HELP Center, said in a statement via the Arlington Pride website. “Without local anti-discrimination safeguards, we cannot guarantee those values for our attendees, performers or partners.”
The Arlington Pride event, which began in 2021, has garnered more than 30,000 attendees and generated more than $8 million for the local economy over the last three years, according to HELP Center.
While initially expecting a few hundred, the first event saw more than 1,000 participants. Attendance grew to more than 5,200 in the event’s second year at the Levitt Pavilion and exceeded 9,800 in 2024. In 2025, the event saw its biggest numbers yet, with more than 15,000 attendees, many of whom traveled from outside of Arlington to attend. Arlington Pride 2025 was the biggest event ever held at Leavitt Pavilion.
Arlington is one of the most diverse cities in the U.S. and the most diverse in the state of Texas. With a widespread representation of sexual orientations, races, religions and identities, the old ordinance ensured protections against discrimination for all of these groups.
With the future uncertain, many of Arlington Pride’s previous attendees and Arlington’s diverse population worry about what this means for the city.
One queer DFW resident, Skylar Smith, voiced her concern upon hearing the news about Arlington Pride 2026. She attended the Arlington Pride event in 2025.
“Going to Arlington Pride felt life-changing,” Smith said. “Being surrounded by so many loving and supportive friends, as well as so many other queer people, made me feel so safe and seen. I think every time I attend Pride, it just shows me how strong, welcoming and beautiful the community is.”
She said cancelation of the 2026 event means less visibility and acceptance for the local LGBTQ+ community.
“When I heard about Pride getting canceled this year, I was so devastated,” Smith said. “I will never understand why people see our love as something controversial or easily disposable. Arlington Pride isn’t just a festival to many people. It was a place where people felt seen and connected. That’s always something worth fighting for.”
Many attendees shared Smith’s sentiments, and residents spoke out and protested at city council events. Supporters of the ordinance say it would have reinstated nondiscrimination protections while protecting federal funding.
“Protecting people should never be seen as a financial burden,” Smith said. “As a queer person who lives here, it just makes me feel like my safety and existence are negotiable. I don’t think you can put a price on something like that.”
But the Pride event itself may not be canceled altogether. Deejay Johannessen, CEO of the HELP Center, expressed hope.
“Let me be clear: There will be a Pride event in 2026. My strong hope is that it will be in Arlington,” Johannessen said in a statement before the council’s Feb. 24 vote approving an ordinance without LGBTQ+ protections. “I expect this issue to be well resolved before June, but I will not gamble with the safety of 10,000 people by hosting an event at the steps of City Hall and hope nothing goes wrong. Arlington Pride has always been—and will remain—a safe, welcoming and powerful event, where families can celebrate without fear.”
Mayor Jim Ross, who has been continuously outspoken about his support for the ordinance’s LGBTQ+ protections, warned prior to the council’s Dec. 10, 2025, vote to continue to suspend those safeguards that the action would send a negative message to residents and visitors.
“Leaving the ordinance permanently suspended would mean telling our residents, our workers, our families, our visitors, that Arlington has nothing on the books affirming fair treatment and equal access. I do not believe that reflects who we are as a city or the values we strive to uphold,” he said during the meeting. “This ordinance and the resolution reestablish a clear standard that discrimination has no place in Arlington.”