“We’re Not Going Away”: Texas Town’s Pride Festival Vows To Fight After Council Attempts To Block It

“Southlake City Council voted unanimously to deny Pride Kel-So’s mass gathering permit — no questions asked, no concerns raised, no reason given. Not a single word of explanation. Just a clean, silent no,” organizers posted to Facebook over the weekend.

However, they offered a message of defiance. “This may feel like a message of ‘you don’t belong here,’ but the thing is, we absolutely do,” the statement read. “We’re not going away, we’re pivoting and bringing more joy to the community.”

The event is a combined celebration for the towns of Keller and Southlake. It was to be hosted at St. Martin in the Fields Episcopal Church, but because of the event’s size and scale, organizers needed a mass-gathering permit from local officials.

The event, originally slated for Oct. 3, will be moved to April, and a smaller event will be held on the original October date instead.