In Fort Worth, Texas, a long-awaited effort to honor LGBTQ+ history has hit a political roadblock. For over a year, activists worked to install an official historical marker at the site of the former Rainbow Lounge — a gay bar that became infamous after a violent police raid in 2009. That raid, which happened on the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, left one man hospitalized with brain bleeding and another with broken ribs.
The incident sparked outrage and reform, leading to new anti-discrimination laws and mandatory diversity training in Fort Worth. But despite the city’s approval of the marker, Republican Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare has halted the process. In a letter to the Texas Historical Commission, O’Hare claimed the application skipped proper review from the county’s historical body. That claim has been challenged by former Historical Commission chair Coletta Strickland, who said,
“There was nothing untoward or out of the ordinary that was done for this application.”
O’Hare, however, insisted the marker would cause unnecessary controversy. His chief of staff went further, saying,
“O’Hare opposes glorifying radical gender ideology and drag performances. People visit public spaces for recreation and relaxation, often with their children. As the vast majority of our nation agrees, transgenderism should not be pushed on our children.”
LGBTQ+ historian Todd Camp, who leads the group Yesterqueer, had spearheaded the marker project after giving a presentation on queer Fort Worth history. Now, the fate of the Rainbow Lounge memorial remains uncertain. To date, Texas has over 16,000 historical markers — yet only one officially honors LGBTQ history.
