Arlington Mayor Jim Ross, pictured left, speaking with HELP Center for LGBTQ Wellness CEO DeeJay Johannessen at the grand opening of HELP’s Arlington location in December 2021 This week Ross voted with three other Arlington City Council members in support of reinstating protections for LGBTQ+ and other minorty residents in the city’s non-dscirmination ordinance. But the final vote was 5-4 to suspend the protections indefinitely in the face of threats from the Trump administration to federal funding for the city. (Tammye Nash/Dallas Voice)
CAROLINE SAVOIE | East Texas Reporter
carosavo@storydustsearch.com
ARLINGTON — The Arlington City Council voted 5–4 on Tuesday night, Dec. 9, to suspend the city’s anti-discrimination ordinance, rejecting a proposal to reinstate the 2021 ordinance and instead leaving in place the pause the council first enacted in September.
The council considered an ordinance focused specifically on sexual orientation and gender identity; however, that proposal was withdrawn, and the council ultimately voted to maintain the full suspension of protections citywide
The razor-thin vote came after more than an hour of emotional testimony in a packed council chamber that reached standing-room capacity, with more residents sent to an overflow room that also filled up. More than 60 speakers addressed the council, and another 78 residents registered support for reinstating the protections.
The council’s decision means that LGBTQ+ people in Arlington are not protected under the ordinance that prohibits discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations and lodging. Arlington originally adopted protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity in 2021, joining Dallas, Fort Worth and Plano. The city says maintaining the ordinance could put more than $60 million in federal funding at risk under new federal scrutiny.
Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Raul Gonzalez and council members Mauricio Galante, Rebecca Boxall, Long Pham and Bowie Hogg voted to uphold the suspension. Mayor Jim Ross joined Mayor Pro Tem Barbara Odom-Wesley and council members Nikkie Hunter and Andrew Piel in support of reinstating the protections.
“Despite the vote tonight, the city of Arlington remains committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable community for all residents,” Ross said after the vote. “I pledge to each and every one of y’all that we will continue to collaborate with community leaders, council members and city staff to reach a solution that is palatable to all.”
Local protections caught in national political crosswinds
Arlington is reported to be the first U.S. municipality to formally roll back LGBTQ+ protections under pressure tied to Donald Trump’s executive orders directing governments to remove language related to transgender people, gender identity and diversity, equity and inclusion. The city previously lost a $50,000 federal grant earlier this year because it contained the word “inclusive,” officials said.
Federal policy experts have questioned whether cities should act preemptively on executive orders that have not been tested in court or acted on by Congress.
Some council members on Tuesday questioned whether the city even had authority to enforce the 2021 ordinance.
But LGBTQ+ advocates argued the ordinance does have power, particularly by creating a process for queer folks to seek discrimination mediation and investigation and by codifying the city’s values.
Residents: ‘This is our lives on the line’
Public testimony reflected deep community divisions. According to the city, 34 speakers supported reinstatement while 11 opposed, and dozens more submitted written comments.
Others argued the city had little choice but to capitulate to the Trump administration’s threats to pull funding, pointing to Arlington’s reliance on federal dollars for housing, safety and infrastructure.
“These kinds of policies go beyond legal implications,” resident Dallas Schwab told the council. “You are telling people who is worthy of protection, and when you tell someone they are unworthy, they just might believe you.”
Council members call for unity amid controversy
Before the vote, Ross allowed each member to address the public.
No matter how this vote goes, there is no state, federal or municipal law that will change who we are and how we treat each other,” Galante said.
Pham echoed Galante’s expression of care to the full audience.
“Regardless of how the vote turns out tonight, we aren’t going to discriminate against anyone, because discrimination is wrong,” Pham said. “I love you guys. We’re better together.”
The ordinance considered Tuesday would have reinstated the anti-discrimination chapter exactly as it was adopted in 2021 while adding new language authorizing the city to suspend enforcement if it conflicts with “federal grant requirements … as determined by a legal opinion from the state or federal attorney general, a directive from a federal agency, or court orders,” according to city documents.
The city staff report says Arlington remains dedicated to ensuring “all residents are free from all forms of discrimination,” but acknowledges the “evolving nature of federal grant requirements and court orders pertaining to state preemption.”
The tension between those two aims — preserving protections while shielding the city from financial risk — has fueled months of debate and repeated delays. Tuesday’s vote had been postponed twice before. Now, however, the suspension remains in effect “until further notice,” meaning the city will no longer handle discrimination complaints from LGBTQ+ residents.
Undoing LGBTQ+ protections after adopting them, policy analysts say, could have lasting consequences for families, businesses and the region’s reputation.