Update:
This story will be updated after Tuesday’s meeting with the outcome of the vote.
Arlington City Council is expected to decide Tuesday whether to remove protections for LGBTQ residents from the city’s anti-discrimination ordinance.
The vote comes after months of debate, two vote delays and pleas from the region’s LGBTQ community and civil rights advocates to preserve the protections. Arlington would be one of the first U.S. cities to repeal its protections for LGBTQ residents.
City staff 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 have said 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.
Breaking News
Community leaders disputed the city’s characterization of Trump’s order, arguing that an anti-discrimination ordinance is not the same as DEI programs. Some residents say repealing protections leaves them vulnerable to discrimination and sends a signal to employers and landlords that discrimination is acceptable.
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.
“We must balance the need to make modifications with the need to ensure that every single member of our community feels welcome, protected, respected, and is treated with dignity,” Arlington Mayor Jim Ross said at the October council meeting.