The Fort Worth City Council voted 7–4 late Monday night to dissolve the city’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) department, citing potential risks to federal funding and growing public backlash.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the move comes amid a nationwide rollback of DEI initiatives under President Donald Trump. Fort Worth had been weighing whether to suspend programs tied to the Fort Worth Business Equity Ordinance, which provided incentives for minority- and women-owned business enterprise-certified businesses.
Supporters Cite Financial Threats
Councilmembers and residents in favor of ending the DEI department argued that maintaining such programs could jeopardize more than $277 million in federal funds.
“The basis of my support lies for two reasons. First of all, it is a commonsense approach. Why would you put infrastructure programs, the city of Fort Worth, put them on the chopping block?” said resident Mark Fulmer during public comment.
Amie Super, a Tarrant County GOP area leader, emphasized the city’s fiscal responsibilities.
“The city of Fort Worth cannot afford other options. Elections do indeed have consequences, and you cannot sit idly by ignoring those consequences at the expense of the financial solvency of this city without taxing all of us into financial oblivion,” she said.
Gail Smith, a local real estate agent, also spoke in support of the department’s suspension.
Opponents Decry Move as Regressive
Those opposed to the resolution accused the council of undermining community values.
“I’m going to speak against this resolution and in favor of diversity, equity, and inclusion,” said Jonah Murray, a self-identified “transgender woman” and former Fort Worth Human Relations Commission member, who claimed she is leaving Texas due to Republican policies. Murray expressed concerns over potentially losing access to her state-issued ID under Attorney General Ken Paxton’s guidance on LGBTQ-related policies.
Western Hills High School teacher Ernesto Moran criticized Republican-aligned councilmembers, saying:
“So I am only speaking to the six who do not belong to a fascist party. I am done, and you should be too, with using their terminology.”
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Moran has publicly posted political views on his school-linked webpage, which includes a digital classroom featuring an LGBTQ flag, a Black Lives Matter flag, and books like The Hate U Give, which discusses police brutality and “systemic racism.”
Split Council Deliberates
Councilmember Charlie Lauersdorf (District 4) said preserving federal funding outweighed partisan debate.
“I answer to District 4 and the residents there,” he said, adding that he would not support raising taxes to offset lost federal dollars.
Notably, Democrat Councilmembers Carlos Flores and Jeanette Martinez joined the majority in voting to end the DEI office.
“We are taking action right now because inaction will just compound our problems,” Flores said. “I join Councilmember Martinez in keeping in mind what is important — those programs that help people.”
Councilmember Chris Nettles, one of the four who opposed the measure, rejected the idea that DEI was expendable.
“Well, I don’t know if you are blind or not. But I see color, and I am not colorblind. And color means something,” he said.
Councilmember Elizabeth Beck echoed Nettles:
“One thing that my therapists say to me that I carry with me every day is that you have to stand and look in the mirror and be able to stand yourself.”
The 7–4 vote marks a decisive shift in Fort Worth’s approach to DEI programs, making it one of the largest cities in Texas to formally end such efforts in municipal governance.