City of Atlanta officials say that Midtown’s rainbow crosswalk is not in danger following the removal of a similar crosswalk outside the Pulse nightclub memorial in Orlando, FL.
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) painted over the rainbow crosswalk, created in 2017 as part of a memorial for the 49 people killed in a shooting at Pulse nightclub, on Aug. 20.
An FDOT spokesperson said in a statement that the department has a duty to “ensure the safety and consistency of public roadways and transportation systems” and ensure “roadways are not utilized for social, political, or ideological interests.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis echoed this sentiment on X, writing, “We will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes.”
The removal of Orlando’s rainbow crosswalk came after a letter sent by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy to all 50 governors on July 1, demanding that “consistent and recognizable traffic control devices” like crosswalks be “kept free from distractions.”
Orlando protestors used chalk to color the rainbow crosswalk again, but FDOT crews painted it black and white again and stationed transportation officials and Orlando police at the crosswalk.
While Atlantans may worry about the state of our own rainbow crosswalk, located at the intersection of 10th Street and Piedmont Avenue, Michael Smith, the press secretary for the Mayor Andre Dickens’ Office, told Rough Draft that the directive should not impact the crosswalk.
“Both Piedmont Avenue and 10th Street are City-owned streets,” he said. “It is our understanding that the directive in question implicates effects on Federal or State-funded projects. Atlanta’s iconic Rainbow Crosswalk was paid for out of the City’s General Fund by Atlanta taxpayers.”
Smith added that this was not the first time the Trump administration had targeted rainbow crosswalks across the country. In 2019, he told CNN that “much like glitter, the crosswalk is here to stay indefinitely” after requests from the Federal Highway Administration to remove them across the country.
Related stories:
• Georgia teacher fired over LGBTQ+ book continues to fight her termination, school district policies
• ‘It just doesn’t look the same’: Southern HIV prevention leaders confront new political landscape
