Trinity Pride filled Fort Worth’s South Main Street with hundreds celebrating inclusion and defiance.
FORT WORTH, Texas — At Trinity Pride, the music was loud — but so was the message.
“We have to be seen,” said Jenna Hill, a Trinity Pride organizer.
And seen they were. Hundreds marched — LGBTQ community members and allies standing tall, speaking out, and refusing to be invisible.
“There’s still some people that don’t feel safe, and especially our young people — they need to know that who they are is OK,” Hill said.
The festival opened with a welcome from Fort Worth Councilwoman Elizabeth Beck.
“We want you to know that your city leaders support you,” she said. “We are here to be your allies.”
Hundreds — perhaps thousands — filled the street for a celebration that was both joyful and defiant.
This year marked the first time Trinity Pride was held on South Main Street. In previous years, the event took place at Magnolia Green Park, but construction on a new hotel forced the move.
“When I was little, I marched with my mom — and it was still more of a protest,” Hill explained.
Back then, people could lose jobs or be cut off by family.
“It was during the HIV/AIDS crisis when people thought you couldn’t hug someone who was queer,” Hill added. “I feel like we’re revisiting some of that lack of empathy.”
The crowd gathered amid a wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation across the country, and a local setback that hit close to home.
Just blocks away, an empty lot on South Jennings was once home to the Rainbow Lounge — the site of a 2009 police raid that helped spark Fort Worth’s modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. A state-approved historical marker was set to be installed there.
But after a letter from Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare to the Texas Historical Commission, that approval was rescinded.
“It’s a travesty what happened during Pride Month — that our county judge chose this moment to attack the LGBTQ community and their historical marker,” Beck said.
Todd Camp, founder of the LGBTQ+ history group YesterQueer, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram he plans to restart the application process for the marker.
The controversy came just as the national suicide hotline prepares to remove its LGBTQ+ prompt next month.
“I think anytime people are reaching out for help, we need to provide it,” said Pastor Elizabeth Callender of St. Stephen Presbyterian.
She was one of many faith leaders who showed up in support.
“We believe in a God of grace — and that God wants all people to come and know God’s love,” she said.
Sarah Tofflemire and her partner, Shannon Lundquist, brought their three children to show what love looks like.
“It’s important to show that love is love — and doesn’t matter, because people are people,” Tofflemire said.
And as Hill put it: “The world needs more people who are kind and accepting and are full of empathy.”