By: Paul Goldberg – Senior Correspondent | LGBT Politics USA

SOUTHLAKE, TX — (September 16, 2026) — An LGBTQ Pride festival that attracted more than 1,600 people to a Southlake-area Episcopal church last year has encountered a major obstacle after the Southlake City Council rejected a permit for its return.




Council members voted Tuesday night against issuing the permit for Pride Kel-So, which is scheduled to return Oct. 3 to St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church at 223 S. Pearson Lane.

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The permit appeared in city records as ZA26-0037, a Specific Use Permit for a mass gathering event at the church property. The applicant was identified as April Dreyson of Dreyson Ventures LLC, with the Rev. Alan Bentrup and St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church identified as the property owner.

According to reporting provided to JRL CHARTS, council members did not publicly discuss the Pride festival or question organizers or city staff before voting unanimously against issuing the permit.

City spokeswoman Pilar Schank told The Dallas Morning News she did not know why council members rejected the application, while Mayor Shawn McCaskill and council members had not responded to the newspaper’s requests for comment.




Pride Kel-So Organizers Say They Won’t Give Up

The decision comes after the inaugural Pride Kel-So became a significant LGBTQ community event for the Keller-Southlake area.

St. Martin-in-the-Fields hosted the first festival in October 2025. Episcopal News Service reported that at least 1,600 people attended, with programming that included live music, food trucks, games, arts vendors, workshops and other activities.

Organizers April and Shaina Dreyson created Pride Kel-So in part to increase LGBTQ visibility and community resources in the suburban Tarrant County area.

Plans for the second annual festival have been underway for months. Pride Kel-So currently lists the 2026 event as “No One Left Behind,” scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 3. Its published event information advertises live music, more than 150 vendors, food trucks, activities and family-friendly entertainment.

The Pride Kel-So website also says the church’s location along the Keller-Southlake border inspired the festival’s name and describes the event as an effort to provide LGBTQ residents with greater community visibility and access to resources.




St. Martin-in-the-Fields Stands Behind LGBTQ Community

Bentrup, rector of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, has repeatedly defended the church’s decision to host Pride Kel-So.

Following the inaugural festival, Bentrup told Episcopal News Service that the congregation wanted to demonstrate what he described as Christianity’s call to welcome its neighbors. The church’s governing vestry had unanimously supported hosting the event.

After Tuesday’s permit rejection, Bentrup again defended the congregation’s support for LGBTQ residents.

“We believe God’s love is for everyone,” Bentrup told The Dallas Morning News. “We do this because of the gospel, not in spite of it. We believe our LGBT neighbors belong in this community and to God.”

The 2025 festival had already generated political controversy before it took place. Local elected officials and activists criticized portions of the planned programming, particularly a drag performance. Organizers maintained that festival activities were designed to be age appropriate.

Despite that controversy, the festival proceeded and ultimately attracted at least 1,600 attendees.




What Happens to Pride Kel-So 2026?

As of Wednesday, Sept. 16, Pride Kel-So’s official event materials continue to advertise the Oct. 3 festival at St. Martin-in-the-Fields.

Organizers have indicated they do not intend to abandon the event following the council’s decision.

The permit rejection leaves unresolved questions about whether organizers can modify their plans, pursue another administrative or legal avenue, or relocate portions of the festival before the scheduled date.

With just over two weeks remaining before Pride Kel-So 2026, the dispute now places renewed attention on Southlake officials and what justification, if any, the city provides for denying the mass-gathering permit.

JRL CHARTS LGBT Politics USA will continue tracking the Pride Kel-So permit dispute and the future of the Oct. 3 LGBTQ festival as organizers determine their next move.




Paul Goldberg
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