Arlington Mayor Jim Ross is calling to postpone a vote on whether to remove protections for LGBTQ residents from the city’s anti-discrimination ordinance.
Council members were scheduled to decide the fate of the ordinance Tuesday evening, but at least one council member will miss the meeting. Barbara Odom Wesley will be absent following the death this week of her father, former Arlington Mayor Elzie Odom.
“It deserves the full council’s vote,” Ross said in a text message Tuesday morning.
If council members agree to reschedule, the vote would likely be delayed to Dec. 9. This would mark the second postponement of an issue that has galvanized supporters of gay rights. In October, council members voted to delay the vote to seek additional legal counsel.
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If approved, Arlington would be one of the first U.S. cities to repeal its protections for LGBTQ residents.
City staff have proposed removing “sexual orientation” and “gender identity and expression” from the anti-discrimination ordinance. That means the city would no longer handle complaints from LGBTQ residents who say they faced discrimination in housing, employment or other public accommodations.
City officials say Arlington risks losing $65 million in federal funding if it does not amend the ordinance, citing President Donald Trump’s pledge to withhold federal funding from cities with diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, programs.
Community leaders have disputed the city’s characterization of Trump’s order, pointing out a difference between anti-discrimination ordinances and DEI programming.”
More than 20 states and nearly 400 cities across the country have policies banning discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, according to the Movement Advancement Project, a nonprofit research organization that tracks legislation related to LGBTQ issues.
In Texas, roughly 14% of LGBTQ residents live in a city with such protections, the nonprofit says. Dallas, Fort Worth and Plano include LGBTQ residents in their anti-discrimination ordinances. Arlington added the protection in 2021.