Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against the city of Denton over an upcoming Pride Month event called “Big Gay Swim Day.” He claims the gathering could violate Texas law regarding sex-segregated facilities. The lawsuit aims to stop the June 7 event, which is scheduled at a private rental at Denton’s Civic Center pool. According to Paxton’s office, promotional materials for the event suggested the pool’s gendered changing rooms would be modified during the gathering.
The attorney general argues that could conflict with the Texas Women’s Privacy Act, which requires access to certain public changing facilities to be based on sex assigned at birth. City officials say the event is not sponsored by Denton and that organizers were informed ahead of time that they must follow state law. In a joint statement posted to Instagram, LGBTQ+ organisations OUTreach Denton and PRIDENTON described the lawsuit as a frivolous waste of public resources.
The groups said they were informed by the city on May 12 that they weren’t allowed to have all-gender restrooms, and they had already updated event materials to match the requirement. The group added, “We will not allow these attacks to spread fear, isolation, or shame…. We look forward to celebrating and affirming Texans of all gender identities. Happy Pride.”
