Hugo A. Sepúlveda 
Valeria Tokun Haga/THE RIDER
After a two-hour executive session, the Brownsville City Commission voted to table the dissolvement of the LGBTQ+ Task Force within a two-week period after residents spoke out against the consent item.
According to the City of Brownsville website, the purpose of the task force is “to explore strategies for improving awareness, advocacy, policy, inclusivity, and cultural competency on issues impacting LGBTQ+ people.”
More than 50 residents registered for a comment on the item against its dissolution, of which only 22 made a comment during the period, expressing what the task force means for the LGBTQ+ community.
Ariana Garza, Brownsville resident who attended for a public comment, talked as a “proud” member of the LGBTQ+ community and mother of two queer children, who recently her youngest son confided in a school-assigned state counselor about their gender identity.
“The counselor responded by saying that they would get bullied and beaten up on the restrooms because we live in Brownsville,” Garza said during the meeting. “That kind of response, the idea that violence is just part of what it means to be queer in the Valley is exactly why we need organizations like the LGBTQ+ Task Force.”
According to the city commission agenda, consent agenda item No. 12 states the consideration and action to approve the Resolution Number 2025-130 dissolving the LGBTQ+ Task Force and authorizing city staff to take all necessary administrative action related thereto.
Bryan Martinez, District 1 city commissioner, made a motion after the executive session to table the consent item agenda No. 12, which the commission set to approve.
Commissioners spoke about the item with an agreement to table it and have a two-week time frame to reconsider the resolution of it.
Gustavo De León, District 3 city commissioner, said he wants every citizen to know that the city commission cares and to make sure everybody feels safe and every citizen counts in Brownsville.
Tino Villarreal, At-Large A city commissioner, said the decision of the dissolvement of the LGBTQ+ Task Force has been in talks for over a month.
“The task force 100% was aware of what was going on and hence the reason that we are tabling because, apparently, now that is not the case, and there’s a broken line of communication,” Villarreal said.
Before the public comment portion of the meeting, Brownsville Mayor John Cowen, made a statement about the consent agenda No. 12, saying the city’s commitment to equality, dignity and human rights for all residents is not changing.
“What’s before the commission is not an attempt to silence or dismantle the progress of the LGBTQ+ Task Force, but rather an opportunity to build upon it,” Cowen said.
He added, in 2019, when the task force was created, it was established as a pilot program, “a temporary structure-designed” to help learn, listen and evaluate how to support the LGBTQ+ community.
“That pilot has now given us the insights and groundwork we need to take the next step, institutionalizing those efforts permanently through a human rights and non-discrimination board,” Cowen said.
The mayor said the new board will broaden its scope to include all protected groups under federal and state civil rights law, including the LGBTQ+ community, people of color, individuals with disabilities, veterans, seniors and others.
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