By Ian M. Giatti, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, June 04, 2026Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton arrives for the State of the Union address during a Joint Session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 24, 2026, in Washington, D.C. Trump is delivering his address days after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the administration's tariff strategy and amid a U.S. military buildup in the Persian Gulf threatening Iran. | Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit Monday against the city of Denton and its officials, accusing them of allowing “gender-neutral” changing rooms at a publicly owned swimming pool for an upcoming all-ages LGBT pride event.

The lawsuit filed May 28 in Denton County District Court targets the city’s handling of “Big Gay Swim Day,” the fourth annual swim party hosted by nonprofit organizations PRIDENTON and OUTreach Denton on June 7 at the Quakertown Civic Center Pool. The event, open to all ages with required registration, was advertised with plans for gender-neutral changing rooms before organizers removed that language.

Paxton’s office announced the suit on Monday, stating it aims to prevent “grown men in changing rooms with Texas children and women at events hosted at publicly owned” facilities.

The Texas Women’s Privacy Act, or Senate Bill 8, passed last year, mandates that private spaces such as bathrooms and locker rooms in public facilities be segregated by biological sex. SB8 requires political subdivisions, including cities, to take “every reasonable step” to ensure individuals of the opposite sex do not enter spaces designated for the other sex.

Organizers rented the pool for a private event after public hours, according to the lawsuit. 

“The City of Denton owns and controls the Quakertown Civic Center,” the lawsuit states. “The Center includes a public-access swimming pool and sex-specific multiple-occupancy changing rooms. The Quakertown Civic Center Pool is designed and advertised as a child-friendly facility.” 

Paxton’s office said the city received written notice of the planned violation on May 19 but “failed to take any corrective action or provide assurances that the Center’s changing rooms would be used in accordance with their lawful sex-specific designations.”

While the event has been removed from the PRIDENTON website, a cached version of the page from July 2025 shows the event included plans to convert “gendered changing rooms,” a kids' water play area and a DJ.

The page described the event as a “private pool party at the Civic Center Pool to celebrate Pride.”

In a statement, Paxton said, “Cities cannot disregard Texas law by allowing men to change with young kids in spaces designated for women. The City of Denton had an opportunity to prevent this violation and chose to do nothing. That dereliction of duty will not stand, and I will ensure that Texas cities follow our state’s laws to protect women and children from men invading their spaces.”

The suit seeks temporary and permanent injunctive relief to block the event from proceeding with gender-neutral facilities and to prevent future violations.

City of Denton spokeswoman Kayla Herrod told The Christian Post on Tuesday that the event will take place as scheduled after city staff “took all necessary measures to ensure full compliance with state law … including informing the organizers that certain elements of their advertising conflicted with state law and advising them of the requirement to comply.”  

While the Civic Center Pool is normally available for private rentals for two hours after the facility closes to the public, the “Big Gay Swim” rental is sponsored privately, not by the city.

In response to Paxton’s lawsuit, PRIDENTON and OUTreach Denton issued a joint statement saying the organizations were “disturbed and concerned” over the legal action, adding, “This frivolous lawsuit is a waste of taxpayers’ time and money.”

The joint statement also claimed that city staff informed them on May 21 that all-gender bathrooms were not permitted, and they “removed this language from all posts and advertisements about this year’s events, in compliance with these expectations.”

The organizations described the event as “a beautiful event where invited community members can swim, dance, and exist without fear of judgment or harassment” since 2022. 

OUTreach Denton, founded in 2010 from the Denton Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, focuses on mutual support, resources, and advocacy for the LGBT-identified community.