The Arlington City Council voted Tuesday to continue its first reading to amend the recently suspended antidiscrimination chapter of the city’s code, which would remove various LGBTQ+ protections. The reading will be continued during the Nov. 18 city council meeting. The amendment would delete mention of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression as protected characteristics from the original document. During Tuesday’s meeting, the council voted 7-2 in favor to continue the reading, with council members Rebecca Boxall and Barbara Odom-Wesley in opposition. All members of the council were present, except for Bowie Hogg, who voted asynchronously. The council originally voted 7-2 to temporarily suspend the chapter during a September meeting. During Tuesday’s meeting, Mayor Jim Ross said it’s important to remain compliant with federal directives to protect the city’s ability to receive federal funding. “However, 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,” Ross said. City Manager Trey Yelverton said during a September council meeting that $65 million in federal grants were at risk due to the contents of the chapter, according to previous Shorthorn reporting. Council member Mauricio Galante said that $65 million is no small sum of money, but the council needs more time to go over the decision and needs to have an attorney's opinion on what the consequences of the ordinance would be. “We have a fiduciary responsibility of keep the city running, keep the services running and that’s the biggest protection we can give,” he said. Odom-Wesley said she has zero tolerance for discrimination against any group, and that some things are more important than money. “I think every citizen should be treated equally and that we have a responsibility to make sure everybody feels safe and included,” she said. Forty-four community members spoke against the vote to amend the ordinance during the meeting. DeeJay Johannessen, HELP Center for LGBT Health & Wellness CEO, said he came out to speak because of the possibility of the LGBTQ community losing antidiscrimination protections in Arlington. Johannessen said that without the protections, LGBTQ residents could be refused services legally. “That's absolutely unacceptable, because they would intervene based upon race, based upon gender, based upon sex, all of those things you have protection, but if you're gay or a member of the LGBT, they don't care about you anymore,” he said. Yaseen Tasnif, sociology and linguistics senior, said they didn’t feel safe on their own campus after Senate Bill 17 was passed in 2023, but felt supported that Arlington had protections with the antidiscrimination chapter of the city code. “For more than a month now, that sense of safety has been on the line,” Tasnif said. The chapter, if amended, will continue to prohibit forms of discrimination in employment and public accommodations based on race, color, national origin, age, religion, sex or disability, according to the updated ordinance. Photojournalist Joel Solis contributed to this story. @wall035203 news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

The UTA Student Senate introduced two new resolutions during its Tuesday meeting. Resolution 25-25, “From Vacancy to Victory,” seeks to provide emergency housing to students who are homeless or at risk of homelessness for a set number of days. Vacant residence hall and campus apartment units would be temporary housing for eligible students. Khondker Sahaf Bin Asif, College of Business senator, asked how many units are actually vacant, and said it was difficult for him to find housing in a campus apartment. “In Timber Brook apartments, if that one unit is empty for one day, it will get filled up,” he said. “It’s that competitive.” Student Body President Effua Jordan authored the resolution and said that she has been in contact with Kyle Boone, executive director of Housing and residence life. “He said that there are spaces that are available,” Jordan said. “He's just trying to figure out a logistical way of having those dorm rooms filled.” Samuel Duncan, College of Liberal Arts senator, shared his personal testimony, expressing that he's in favor of the resolution. “I see the merit of this resolution, personally,” Duncan said. Resolution 25-26, “The Glitter Haus Act,” authored by Elwim Sorto, social work graduate student, aims to ensure inclusivity in all aspects of living environments, including safe bathroom access, suite-style living arrangements and residential policies that protect the dignity and privacy of gender-diverse students. There was a lot of discussion about the legality of the resolution, with Shravan Venkatesh, College of Science senator, mentioning the recent ban on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. “This is about protecting people and making sure that they can have equity,” Sorto said. “If it sounds like DEI, it’s not DEI. It's cultural competence and it's human competence.” Resolution 25-16, “Condom Convenience,” was killed, upon the discovery that adding more condom dispensers would cost too much. Student Senate also provided research updates on Resolution 25-20, “Textbook Sell Back Drive”; Resolution 25-21, “Analog Manual”; Resolution 25-19, Title IX Don't Take Mine”; Resolution 25-22, “Thirst for Variety”; Resolution 25-18, “Cultivating Campus Civic Culture”; Resolution 25-23, “Keep the Plan ‘til the Scan”; and Resolution 25-24, “Peace, Prayer, Permanence.” The next Student Senate meeting will take place at 6 p.m. Oct. 28 in the Student Government Chambers. @taylormakynzee news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu