The marketing organization for the City of Mobile is ramping up its push to celebrate Pride Month, and one Mobile pastor is calling on the community to step up and push back.
The Visit Mobile website prominently features a pride event photo and lists multiple events, including the Miss Mobile Gay Pride Legacy Show and PrideFest 2026.
A Facebook post states, "Love thrives in Mobile. Celebrate Pride Month, love and community at these events in the Port City."
The city is decorated with banners that say, "Alive With Pride, JUNE, Lighting up Mobile with Love, Visibility, and Pride." The city also hung banners reportedly purchased by a private citizen.
Visit Mobile is a non-profit organization that receives taxpayer money through lodging tax revenue. The Mobile City Council recently approved a lodging tax increase that gives 37.5% of the lodging tax's total revenues to Visit Mobile. In the 2026 proposed budget, Visit Mobile was projected to receive nearly $5 million from that tax distribution.
Pathway Church pastor Travis Johnson serves on the Visit Mobile board of directors. Johnson said he believes people should be free to live their lives, but not at taxpayers' expense.
"It causes friction in our community," Johnson said. "Nobody's saying that you can't identify however you want or that you can't have a certain ideology. Nobody's trying to stop anybody from whatever decision they make. Just don't use taxpayer money."
There are 10 executive committee members and 13 board members. Johnson said when it comes to representing family values and standing for the majority, he is outnumbered. He said he has even had another member call him a "hate pastor."
"I go into Visit Mobile and I'm completely outnumbered," said Johnson. "We need more people that are not OK with this ideology and definitely don't want this ideology hoisted on taxpayers. We need more people that will represent Mobile. Mobile is San Francisco or not Los Angeles."
Johnson called on Mayor Spiro Cheriogotis, the Mobile City Council and the Mobile County Commission to appoint members who represent the community.
"The makeup on the board has to reflect the city," said Johnson. "We could use some more Little League dads, some mama bears, some steel workers. Just some regular people from Mobile that would express their voice."
Johnson said the 2025 mayoral election made clear what the majority of Mobile's constituents stand for. He said it's not for men in women's sports and not for boys in girls' bathrooms.
"The majority of Mobile doesn't want it, but for whatever reason, occupying so many of these boards is a real activist, extremist perspective and we can do better," Johnson added. "It's a little embarrassing. Really, it's out of touch."
2023 saw a fever pitch in the fight against indoctrination and the use of public funds for pride. Johnson's city council prayer made national headlines after he heard about drag queens dancing with children and a pride event held in front of the Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in downtown Mobile. That prayer was challenged by the Freedom from Religion Foundation, prompting a group of area pastors to come together and speak out against city-sponsored pride events.
"We got a great victory and Mobile actually became the first city in America to lower our Human Rights Campaign MEI (Municipal Equality Index) score," Johnson said. "It was actually that event that put me in the White House, in policy meetings, helping to craft a Religious Liberty Commission executive order, and then in 2025, I was standing in the Rose Garden on National Day of Prayer, at the podium, holding up the executive order. So, you know, what happened here in Mobile is having national consequence."
Former Mayor Sandy Stimpson, after hearing from constituents in 2023, discontinued the city's LGBTQ+ liaison positions. Stimpson said he recognized that the special privileges of one group created more of a rift than unity.
Since 2023 and the re-election of President Donald Trump, federal orders have prohibited the display of LGBTQ+ flags on federal buildings. However, Johnson said Mobile continues to be a target.
"In our family-friendly Mobile, we have extremists continuing to press this ideology," he said. "And we voted that down. We voted that down on our mayoral race. I don't want to get in these fights. I have better things to do. A lot of people like me, we have kids, we're working and then there are other people who have a lot of time on their hands. But we really need more people, more just regular folks, that can get involved in this stuff."
Visit Mobile, Cheriogotis and his office did not immediately respond to media inquiries from 1819 News.
Johnson also spoke about his concerns on FM Talk 106.5's "The Jeff Poor Show."
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email [email protected].
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every day or become a member to gain access to exclusive content.
