CAROLINE SAVOIE | East Texas Reporter
carosavo@storydustsearch.com
TEXARKANA, Texas — A Texarkana resident is working to revive a local Pride festival for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing early interest from community members across social media.
Devin Cigainero said he is in the early planning stages of organizing a Pride event in Texarkana where, he said, festivals have not been held since 2019 due to funding challenges and limited support.
Cigainero has launched a petition on Change.org aimed at gauging community interest, and he said he wants to present it to city leaders.
“A Pride festival … would provide a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community and allies to express themselves freely, build relationships and foster understanding,” the petition states, citing research from The Trevor Project on the mental health benefits of affirming spaces.
Cigainero has also used Facebook groups and Reddit forums to gauge interest and recruit collaborators. In a post in an Equality Texarkana Facebook group, he asked whether local organizations and residents would be willing to partner on the effort, writing that the event could “empower, inspire and spread love and peace in the community.”
Responses suggest a mix of enthusiasm and realism about the work ahead. Some commenters expressed willingness to volunteer or donate, while others noted the challenges of organizing a large-scale event.
“We desperately need something like this,” one Facebook user wrote. Another said they would consider volunteering depending on their schedule.
On Reddit, users echoed similar sentiments. One commenter who said they had participated in past Pride events voiced support for bringing them back, while others pointed to the need for funding, permits and partnerships.
Some users offered logistical help, including assistance with organizing paperwork and connecting with LGBTQ+ organizations.
The online discussions signaled a lack of LGBTQ+ spaces and events in the area. Several users said they often travel to larger cities such as Dallas or Little Rock for community events, while others pointed to smaller local efforts like potlucks and book clubs as ways to get engaged in the community, however limited opportunities may be.
Texarkana has hosted smaller Pride-related events in recent years, including a 2023 picnic organized by Equality Texarkana, but there has not been a full-scale festival or parade in the city since before the pandemic.
Kara Alamond, a moderator in the Equality Texarkana Facebook group, pointed to smaller-scale efforts that have already drawn community interest. She said that organizers hosted a Pride potluck in June 2025 that saw strong attendance, and she is considering hosting another event in June this year, she said.
Her comment underscores what some residents say is an existing network of LGBTQ+ community-building in Texarkana, even in the absence of a large, centralized Pride festival.
Cigainero said he hopes to build on that foundation by partnering with local businesses, interested community members and neighboring cities in southwest Arkansas to reestablish a larger Pride celebration.
“I’m hoping to bring it back stronger than ever,” he said.