"On any given day in , you can walk across the intersection of Duval and Petronia and witness something more than a simple attraction that is our rainbow crosswalks. When tourists pose for photos on those colorful stripes, local kids hop from color to color, or couples like my husband and I cross hand-in-hand after dinner at our favorite restaurant, we're all participating in something larger than ourselves. We're walking through a commitment that this place values us."
"The U.S. Department of Transportation recently issued a memoto all 50 states calling for uniform traffic devices. The language is bureaucratic, but the subtext is chilling. Though rainbow crosswalks were not explicitly named, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy made the real target clear in a social media post: "Taxpayers expect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks." He went on to call visible queer affirmations like these "political banners" rather than public art, stating that, "Roads are for safety, not political messages or artwork.""
"The rainbow crosswalks have long been a marker of safety, celebration, and visibility for LGBTQ+ residents and visitors alike. To look at them is to see more than paint on the pavement-you see a declaration. It says, without words: you belong here. Now, that statement is under attack. They tell us this fight is about safety, rainbow-painted crosswalks are too distracting for drivers, and that roads are for traffic rather than 'political messages.' But let's be honest: this is about visibility, theirs, not ours."
Rainbow crosswalks function as markers of safety, celebration, and visibility for LGBTQ+ residents and visitors. Community members, tourists, and couples use them as expressions of belonging and local commitment. A recent U.S. Department of Transportation directive urging uniform traffic devices has targeted visible, localized crosswalk art. Transportation leadership framed rainbow crosswalks as inappropriate public expenditures and 'political banners,' arguing roads should prioritize safety over art. Advocates view claims about driver distraction and nonpolitical space as pretexts that threaten proliferating, community-driven affirmations across cities and towns nationwide.
Read at Advocate.com
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