{"id":182896,"date":"2026-02-27T12:38:20","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T12:38:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/182896\/"},"modified":"2026-02-27T12:38:20","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T12:38:20","slug":"pride-san-antonio-replacing-entire-board-after-lawsuit-controversy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/182896\/","title":{"rendered":"Pride San Antonio replacing entire board after lawsuit controversy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\">Don\u2019t Miss a Moment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Join 30,000 locals who stay current on San Antonio news, culture, and events. Get our free newsletters in your inbox three times a week.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\">Don\u2019t Miss a Moment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\">Join 30,000 locals who stay current on San Antonio news, culture, and events. Get our free newsletters in your inbox three times a week.<\/p>\n<p><img data-perfmatters-preload=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"520\" data-attachment-id=\"377526\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.sacurrent.com\/news\/queer-activists-hosting-san-antonios-first-reclaim-pride-event-to-counter-pride-corporatization-38167688\/attachment\/jjm_pride-51-webp\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sacurrent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/jjm_pride-51.webp.webp?fit=1000%2C667&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1000,667\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"jjm_pride-51.webp\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;A group marches in San Antonio\u2019s Pride Bigger Than Texas parade.&lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;A group marches in San Antonio\u2019s Pride Bigger Than Texas parade.&lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sacurrent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/jjm_pride-51.webp.webp?fit=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sacurrent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/jjm_pride-51.webp.webp?fit=780%2C520&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/jjm_pride-51.webp.webp.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-377526\"  \/>A group marches in San Antonio\u2019s Pride Bigger Than Texas parade. Credit: Jaime Monzon<\/p>\n<p>After intense and prolonged backlash following a controversial lawsuit, Pride San Antonio will replace its entire board of directors, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.expressnews.com\/news\/article\/pride-san-antonio-board-appoints-new-leaders-21368788.php\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Express-News reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The board\u2019s nine directors, many of whom have led the organization for more than 20 years, will appoint new leaders in March and train them to take over running the organization by June 2027, according to the daily.<\/p>\n<p>The January lawsuit against the City of San Antonio that prompted the restructuring relates to the state-mandated removal of San Antonio\u2019s Pride crosswalks on North Main Avenue, in the heart of the city\u2019s LGBTQ+ strip.<\/p>\n<p>Pride San Antonio, an advocacy group known for organizing the city\u2019s annual Pride Bigger Than Texas parade, fielded criticism from the queer community for partnering on the lawsuit with right-wing group Texas Conservative Liberty Forum, which has fought gender-affirming care for trans youth.<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit accused the city of making an \u201cunlawful expenditure\u201d of $170,000 in public funds to remove the crosswalks and instead paint rainbow stripes on sidewalks.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Pride San Antonio claimed it was trying to stop the removal of the crosswalks, for which it was instrumental in fundraising and installing. However, Texas Conservative Liberty Forum\u2019s objective was to stop the city from painting rainbow sidewalks using public dollars. <\/p>\n<p>Together, the two organizations seemed poised to hold up the entire project of removal and replacement.<\/p>\n<p>The City of San Antonio was compelled to remove the crosswalks or face the potential threat of losing TxDOT transportation funds, thanks to a directive by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott calling for the removal of \u201cpolitical ideologies\u201d from public roadways.<\/p>\n<p>The suit argued council members should have voted to distribute the funds for each project, rather than city staff allocating the money without council\u2019s approval.<\/p>\n<p>District court judges threw out the lawsuit, but the damage was done.<\/p>\n<p>In the wake of the legal fight, some LGBTQ+ advocates called for a boycott of 22-year-old Pride San Antonio\u2019s annual festival and parade. Criticism of the organization has also led to the creation of alternative groups, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/pride210sa?igsh=anZkN2o3MWhyMnV2\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Pride210SA<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p>Earlier criticisms of the Pride San Antonio\u2019s corporatization also led to the formation of an alternative event called Reclaim Pride, organized by a coalition called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sacurrent.com\/news\/queer-activists-hosting-san-antonios-first-reclaim-pride-event-to-counter-pride-corporatization-38167688\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The Gay Agenda<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Last Thursday\u2019s monthly meeting of Pride San Antonio spiraled into a near-shouting match between critics and board members, according to the Express-News.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"348\" height=\"75\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/sa-current-transparent-ish.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-28649\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>KEEP SA CURRENT!<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Since 1986, the SA Current has served as the free, independent voice of San Antonio, and we want to keep it that way.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Becoming an SA Current Supporter for as little as $5 a month allows us to continue offering readers access to our coverage of local news, food, nightlife, events, and culture with no paywalls.<\/p>\n<p>Though the lawsuit was part of the discussion, much of the rancor centered around allegations that the board maintained exclusionary policies, including toward the trans community, the daily reports. Critics also targeted Pride San Antonio for the amount it charges for entry fees and water at its parade, held every June.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re tired, and tonight just makes us even more tired when we have to deal with stuff like this\u00a0\u2014 just the vitriol coming at us,\u201d James Poindexter, Pride San Antonio\u2019s board secretary, told the Express-News. \u201cWe haven\u2019t done anything wrong. We haven\u2019t done anything. We filed a suit to save the crosswalks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sacurrent.com\/sanantonio\/NewsletterSignup\/Page\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sign Up for SA Current newsletters.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\">Follow us:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apple.news\/TiFMu3wPkRj6PC4xS5L36bg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Apple News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqKAgKIiJDQklTRXdnTWFnOEtEWE5oWTNWeWNtVnVkQzVqYjIwb0FBUAE?hl=en-US&amp;gl=US&amp;ceid=US%3Aen\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Google News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbreak.com\/@c\/1599768?s=01\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">NewsBreak<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/SanAntonio_Current\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Reddit<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/instagram.com\/sacurrent\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sacurrent\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook\u00a0<\/a>| <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SAcurrent\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter<\/a>\u00a0| Or sign up for our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sacurrent.com\/feed\/?partner-feed=all\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">RSS Feed<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Related Stories<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sacurrent.com\/news\/san-antonio-news\/judge-approves-removal-of-san-antonios-rainbow-crosswalk\/\" rel=\"bookmark nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/pridedistrict.webp.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-medium size-newspack-article-block-landscape-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"Judge approves removal of San Antonio\u2019s rainbow crosswalk\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\"   data-attachment-id=\"381983\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.sacurrent.com\/news\/san-antonio-news\/texas-gov-greg-abbott-threatens-to-cut-funding-to-cities-with-rainbow-crosswalks\/attachment\/pridedistrict-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sacurrent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pridedistrict.webp?fit=1000%2C666&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1000,666\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"pridedistrict\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Removal of San Antonio\u2019s rainbow crosswalk is set to begin Monday.&lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Removal of San Antonio\u2019s rainbow crosswalk is set to begin Monday.&lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sacurrent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pridedistrict.webp?fit=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sacurrent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pridedistrict.webp?fit=780%2C519&amp;ssl=1\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\tPride San Antonio and the Conservative Liberty Forum sued to stop the removal and to prevent the city from installing rainbow sidewalks. \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sacurrent.com\/news\/san-antonio-news\/lawsuit-delays-san-antonios-plan-to-install-rainbow-sidewalks-in-pride-district\/\" rel=\"bookmark nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/pridedistrict.webp.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-medium size-newspack-article-block-landscape-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"Lawsuit delays San Antonio\u2019s plan to install rainbow sidewalks in Pride district\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\"   data-attachment-id=\"381983\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.sacurrent.com\/news\/san-antonio-news\/texas-gov-greg-abbott-threatens-to-cut-funding-to-cities-with-rainbow-crosswalks\/attachment\/pridedistrict-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sacurrent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pridedistrict.webp?fit=1000%2C666&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1000,666\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"pridedistrict\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Removal of San Antonio\u2019s rainbow crosswalk is set to begin Monday.&lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Removal of San Antonio\u2019s rainbow crosswalk is set to begin Monday.&lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sacurrent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pridedistrict.webp?fit=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sacurrent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pridedistrict.webp?fit=780%2C519&amp;ssl=1\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\tThe suit, filed by Pride San Antonio and a right-wing group that backs anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, demands that plans for the sidewalk be \u2018deliberated in a public forum.\u2019\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sacurrent.com\/news\/san-antonio-news\/pride-san-antonio-says-it-will-take-rainbow-crosswalk-fight-to-court-if-city-doesnt-ramp-up-effort-to-protect-the-landmark\/\" rel=\"bookmark nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/pridedistrict.webp.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-medium size-newspack-article-block-landscape-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"Pride San Antonio says it will take Rainbow Crosswalk fight to court if city doesn\u2019t ramp up effort to protect the landmark\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\"   data-attachment-id=\"381983\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.sacurrent.com\/news\/san-antonio-news\/texas-gov-greg-abbott-threatens-to-cut-funding-to-cities-with-rainbow-crosswalks\/attachment\/pridedistrict-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sacurrent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pridedistrict.webp?fit=1000%2C666&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1000,666\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"pridedistrict\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Removal of San Antonio\u2019s rainbow crosswalk is set to begin Monday.&lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Removal of San Antonio\u2019s rainbow crosswalk is set to begin Monday.&lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sacurrent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pridedistrict.webp?fit=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sacurrent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pridedistrict.webp?fit=780%2C519&amp;ssl=1\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\tThe city filed an exemption request for the Rainbow Crosswalk in November with the Texas Department of Transportation. \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t<script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t Miss a Moment. Join 30,000 locals who stay current on San Antonio news, culture, and events. Get&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":182897,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[73251,73252,73253,33790,82,84,83,73254,73255,33791],"class_list":["post-182896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-antonio","tag-lgbtq-community-san-antonio","tag-pride-bigger-than-texas","tag-pride-bigger-than-texas-boycott","tag-pride-san-antonio","tag-san-antonio","tag-san-antonio-headlines","tag-san-antonio-news","tag-san-antonio-pride-crosswalks","tag-san-antonio-queer-community","tag-san-antonio-rainbow-crosswalks"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182896","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=182896"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182896\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/182897"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=182896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=182896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=182896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}