The Oak Lawn Gayborhood’s recently restored rainbow crosswalks could be destroyed any day now thanks to a 2013 Federal Highway Administration and a directive from Gov. Greg Abbott, according to reports by CBS News and other media outlets.
Cities that fail to remove rainbow crosswalks and any other crosswalk art stand to lose millions in federal road funding, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned governors in July. Abbott this week ordered the Texas Department of Transportation to start strictly enforcing that federal rule.
The 2013 rule prohibits any art in crosswalks, apart from certain patterns in earth tones, because such art “degrades pedestrian safety.”
On Wednesday, Oct. 8, Abbott ordered the Texas Department of Transportation to “ensure counties and cities are in compliance with roadway safety” rules. While not specifically mentioning the nine rainbow crosswalks on Cedar Springs Road, Abbott said that cities have to remove “any and all political ideologies from our streets.”
Counties and cities in Texas must remove “any and all political ideologies from our streets.”
Gov. Greg Abbott
Tony Vedda, CEO of the North Texas LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce which has helped spearhead efforts to have the rainbow crosswalks initially installed and later replaced, issued a statement Thursday morning, Oct. 9, saying, “Our purpose has never been political. It has been — and remains — about safety, visibility, and authenticity. The rainbow crosswalks serve as a welcoming signal that everyone belongs and that every Texan should be able to walk their streets without fear or shame.”
Read Vedda’s statement in its entirety on page 6 in the Oct. 10 issue of Dallas Voice.
The crosswalks on Cedar Springs
After years of wrangling with the city and after funds to pay for the project came from private donors rather than using city funds, the first rainbow crosswalks were installed in Oak Lawn in February 2020. While the Dallas rainbows were not the first of their kind, the fact that, while most cities had one or two rainbow crosswalks, Dallas had 10 on Cedar Springs Road, through the heart of the Gayborhood.
The crosswalks were created with thermoplastic which was glued to the pavement then treated with heat to make them permanently adhere. While the thermoplastic was supposed to last longer than paint, the crosswalk designs quickly began to deteriorate.
As the condition of the crosswalks worsened, both the LGBTQ Chamber Foundation and Cedar Springs Merchants Association began raising funds to replace them, and in June of this year, crews turned out to remove the remnants of the thermoplastic designs and replace them with simpler design made of more durable materials.
North Texas LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce CEO Tony Vedda said at the time, “The refresh of the iconic Cedar Springs crosswalks is more than a beautification project; it’s a bold, visible reminder of the strength and resilience of our LGBTQ+ community.”
Cedar Springs Merchants Association issued a statement in June saying, “We’re thrilled to see the new crosswalks coming to Cedar Springs. This neighborhood has always been the heart of Dallas’ LGBTQ+ community, and these crosswalks are more than just paint on pavement — they’re a vibrant symbol of pride, visibility and progress. We’re grateful to everyone who helped make this happen and can’t wait to see our streets shine even brighter.”
The battle in Orlando
Rainbow crosswalks have become a target around the country this year. One of the most high-profile examples were the crosswalks near the Pulse Nightclub memorial site in Orlando, Fla. After authorities painted over the rainbow colors on Aug. 21, community members turned out with chalk to color them back in.
On Aug. 29, Orlando police arrested a man for leaving rainbow-colored chalk footprints in the crosswalk near the Pulse memorial, although charges were later dismissed. More people were arrested on Aug. 31 for using chalk to fill in the crosswalk with rainbow colors. Within the next few days, city officials were posting law enforcement officials near the crosswalk to keep protesters with chalk from adding the colors back each time they were removed.
A person near the Pulse memorial was assaulted on Sept. 13 by a suspect who allegedly yanked a rainbow flag out of the victim’s hands and shouted anti-LGBTQ+ slurs while hitting the victim and then kicking them while they were on the ground.
Protests continue in Orlando, although protesters have begun gathering at the Orlando City Hall rather than at the Pulse site.
— Tammye Nash