Southlake City Council has denied a permit for the Pride Kel-So festival, an annual event set for October, even though the same event was approved last year, according to local reports. During a recent meeting, the council voted unanimously against granting the permit. Only two individuals spoke about the event during the session—one in support and one in opposition, according to Fox 4. No city council members offered comments or asked questions to the organizers. The Pride Kel-So festival celebrates the LGBT community and was first approved in 2025. It was held at St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church in Southlake. The event's name combines "Keller" and "Southlake," as the church is located on the border of the two cities. Organizers reported that 2,500 people attended the inaugural event, which featured live music, vendors, and was described as family-friendly. April Dreyson, one of the festival's co-founders, expressed shock at the denial, noting that the city council had not provided an explanation for its decision despite approving the event the previous year. She suggested that the only possible reason for the denial was discrimination. In a Facebook post, Dreyson stated there was no other explanation for the council's vote other than discrimination against a group of people. Reverend Ellen Singer, the associate pastor of the church, spoke in support of the event during the council meeting, stating that the goal of such an event is to bring people together and celebrate community unity. Reverend Alan Bentrup, the church's leader, said he was out of town during the meeting but supports the festival and wants to host it again this year. He noted that it was unusual for one dissenting voice to influence the council's decision, as he had attended numerous contentious meetings before. The opposing voice at the meeting described the festival as "abhorrent" and claimed it drew protesters to the event. If the council does not reconsider its decision, the organizers said they may downsize the festival and limit the number of attendees to 1,000 people, as any gathering of 1,000 or more requires a permit under city law. Dreyson stated that she and the other organizers would "figure it out" and emphasized that the festival would happen in some form. Pilar Schank, a city spokesperson, declined to comment further and directed inquiries to a video of the September 15 city council meeting.