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Are Rainbow Crosswalks a Bad Idea?

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Rainbow crosswalks have been installed in dozens of cities worldwide but they have sparked controversies ever since. So, it begs the question: are these rainbow crosswalks a good idea?


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Just like all terrible stories involving a villain, our story begins in Florida, America’s tiny dick. Under the direction of Ron DeSantis, also known as Governor Groomer, their Department of Transportation issued an order this month for all cities across the state to remove rainbow crosswalks from their streets. It was yet another targeted attempt to erase LGBTQ people from existence in Florida. 



But the location then had a troubled future. Over 20 million dollars were raised for a memorial but then the money went missing.



But this past month, city officials were forced, under the order from the state, to paint over the rainbow with pure black paint. Now, we cannot blame the city for following orders from the state but we can blame them for doing it in the middle of the night.


I’m not kidding, they really did try to paint over the rainbow in the middle of the night like no one would notice it missing in the morning. 


But the community in Orlando came together once again and started painting the crosswalk rainbow over and over with sidewalk chalk day after day. The Florida Highway Patrol stationed their officers on a 24/7 watch on the crosswalk rather than doing actual police work in Florida…like, I don’t know, arresting a man who went to a fast food restaurant and threw an alligator at a cashier through the drive thru window.  


By the way, that’s a completely real story and I have so many questions. Like, did he normally just carry an alligator around with him and the cashier did something he didn’t like? Or did he bring the alligator there just to throw it at the cashier? Or was he asking them to cook it for him? Like, I have SO many questions but it’s Florida so, I’m not sure I want any of the answers. 


But anyway, on August 30th, a man named Sebastian Suarez was arrested by the Florida Highway Patrol for placing chalk under his shoes and chalking the crosswalk under him as he walked across the street. Three other protesters who used children’s sidewalk chalk to draw a rainbow on the crosswalk were also arrested by the FHP.


It is worth noting the judge in each of those cases found no probable cause for the police to arrest them so he released them all with no charges. Truthfully, it was no different than sidewalk chalk that children use on a summer day so it was ridiculous for the police to arrest them at all. But the point was to scare our community from trying to defy the order from the governor. 


Later, people who owned homes around the area of the Pulse Nightclub painted their own sidewalks and driveways in rainbow colors to protest the order. Only this time, it was being painted on private property so no order from Governor Groomer could stop them from painting their own property. 


And while those homeowners and peaceful protesters are inspiring, if we’re REALLY being honest, rainbow crosswalks might not be a good idea for anyone.


The first rainbow crosswalk seems to have been painted for a pride event in Taiwan in 2008 with the first permanent one being painted in West Hollywood in 2012. But there have been a multitude of stories where these rainbow crosswalks are vandalized by homophobes with their truck tires, with spray paint, and anything else these villains can find. 


[STORIES FOR GRAPHICS]


In fact, some of those who have defaced these rainbow crosswalks have been charged with a wide range of crimes including defacing public property, vandalism, and even hate crimes. 


And yes, spray painting or burning your tires out on a public street is vandalism. Almost anything desecrating our rainbow flag is a hate crime. But our community is the one putting the rainbow flag, our most beloved symbol, in a place where our community intended for it to be desecrated. 


Years ago, I was an Eagle Scout with the Boy Scouts of America. Back then, our leaders taught us something called the flag code. And for all of you gay guys out there, no - this is not the FLAGGING code with handkerchiefs in our back pocket. Although; I will admit, the Boy Scouts is almost as gay as the hanky code. 


Anyway, the flag code is a set of rules set out to not only respect the flag of your nation but to honor those who have sacrificed everything to allow that flag to fly freely. Some of the many codes of respect include: that a flag must be held with two hands at all times so you never drop it. It should never fly lower than any other flag. 


At the end of its lifespan, it can only be retired in a ceremony where it is to be cremated, not thrown in the garbage. Flying it upside down is a sign of disrespect. And most importantly, a flag is never, EVER meant to touch the ground. 


So, that begs the question: why is our community painting our own flag on the ground if our flag is never meant to touch the ground? See, when you’re painting a crosswalk, you’re fully aware and have every intention of people walking all over it. Your intention is to have vehicles driving over it. 


And then, you’re asking those pedestrians or motorists not to desecrate it even though you painted it in a place where by merely walking on it or driving over it, which is what you asked people to do, they’re desecrating it. 


We’ve covered LGBTQ history many times on this show. From those episodes and lessons, you might have learned about some of the most famous heroes in our community who have fought, bled, and died defending this rainbow flag. It was designed by Gilbert Baker in 1978 but it has since become the most honored symbol of our community and our nation to this day. 


If the LGBTQ community were its own nation, we would be the 3rd largest population on earth, right behind China and India. So, it begs the questions: why are we letting our most beloved symbol get trampled on and driven over by anyone? And why are we putting it there in the first place?


Let me be clear, I’m NOT saying those who skid their tires over these rainbow crosswalks or spray paint over them are by any means good people - they clearly have some internal homophobia going on. After all, it’s been scientifically proven that the more homophobic a person is, the more closeted they truly are. 


But it’s not just about the symbolism. Under the supervision of then-President Obama, in 2011, the U.S. Federal Highway Administration advised that “crosswalk art [of any kind] is contrary to the goal of increased safety and most likely could be a contributing factor to a false sense of security for both motorists and pedestrians.” 


Keep in mind, President Obama was the man who helped our community get marriage equality passed through the Supreme Court and who created the first national park in honor of LGBTQ people at Stonewall. So, he was clearly an ally of our community but his highway administration advised against any artwork in crosswalks, including rainbow flags, purely based on the safety factor alone.


Then, in December 2023, under the supervision of then-President Joe Biden, the Department of Transportation published its 11th version of the U.S. Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. This manual discourages the use of bright colors from being used inside of crosswalks, which covers nearly every color in the rainbow flag. 



Bipartisan charities around the world have warned transportation agencies that rainbow crosswalks may stop people with learning disabilities and dementia from safely crossing the street because they may not recognize that they are road crossings. 


Other bipartisan charities warn that using rainbow colors in crosswalks may be overwhelming for guide dogs or those with autism. And many, many other examples we could mention here but don’t have time.



So, if we’re just looking at the safety aspect, with the exception of one left-leaning organization which only studied 11 crosswalks across 5 states, the answer is clear. Many bipartisan organizations and transportation departments under the supervision of democratic leadership, warn the use of ANY artwork in crosswalks might cause harm to those crossing the street and to people driving on the road. 


Even if painting a rainbow in a crosswalk was not harmful to those with disabilities, to guidedogs, or to those on the spectrum, I would argue putting a rainbow flag in a place where it is intended to be stepped on and driven over on a daily basis is asking for people to disrespect you and everyone else who came before you, fighting for the freedoms that flag symbolizes. 


When I first came out of the closet, I flew my rainbow flag high and proudly outside my house. I still wear that flag proudly with pins on my jacket. Even in this TV studio, that flag is proudly displayed behind me in almost every episode because we respect it so much.


But even though some might call it just a flag or a backdrop, it’s always treated with the utmost respect. My staff and I hold it with two hands. We honor these flags with retirement ceremonies. We never let it fly lower than any other flag and fly it at the same height as the American flag, which I’ll admit, right now is in distress because of another crazy Florida man. But we never let it touch the ground. 


You might notice that we don’t sell certain items on our Pride Store website like rainbow shoes or bath mats. They might do well for other people but we feel that our flag is too important to trample on, no matter the situation. So, everything we sell not only has to pass thorough inspections but even our socks have a rainbow near the top of them, not underneath your feet so you never walk on our nation’s flag. 


I understand why rainbow crosswalks were thought of years ago at a pride event. It’s sort of a rainbow road, showing everyone who crosses it that they are entering a safe space where they can let their guard down a little and be themselves. 


But there are better ways for pride events to symbolize this. They could get an inflatable rainbow archway for less than a hundred dollars on Amazon. This way, you can pass through a rainbow archway as you enter the pride event. They could set up a closet door for everyone to write their names on with rainbow markers as they enter the event to symbolize the closet door we all break through. 


For places like Pulse Nightclub where a rainbow crosswalk is meant to honor someone’s sacrifice, there are much better ways to honor their lives. You could petition the city to put up a flag pole with a rainbow flag high enough in the air that no one can reach it. You could install a plaque or a small monument on the corner. 


You could follow in the footsteps of Chicago and install similar signs as their Legacy Walk which teaches of LGBTQ people on every street pole. 


My point is, there is no need to put our community’s most beloved and valued symbol beneath anyone’s feet or tires. Some might argue that no matter how great your intentions might be, putting our flag on the ground, especially outside of a place like the Pulse Nightclub, is a sign of DISrespect for those 49 victims.


Beyond the very real safety concerns brought forward by independent groups, I’ve tried to understand why our community would paint rainbows on crosswalks. Departments of transportation don’t think it’s a good idea. Homophobes use it as an easy target for vandalism. Our community gets upset anytime homophobes vandalize it. And even our allies are desecrating our flag every time they innocently walk or drive over it every day.


So, why would we paint rainbows on crosswalks in the first place? Perhaps someone out there can explain it to me better in the comments. But right now, it feels like we’re handing a child a box of markers then leaving them alone in a room. 


If they painted all the walls of the room, should we punish them? Yes. But are we, as the much more mature parents, at least partially to blame for entrusting a child in a room alone with a box of markers? In my opinion, also yes. 


We were the cops standing outside the bar at 2 am waiting for people to leave. We were the ones who handed the man an alligator and expected someone from Florida not to throw it through the window of the drive thru. But all kidding aside, our community are the ones who took our most beloved symbol and put it on the ground for everyone to trample on. 


In my opinion, we need to do a much better job at protecting the flag that our ancestors fought, bled, and sometimes died to protect. Until then, we cannot get upset when we give a terrible person both the motive and the means to do something horrible, and then they do it. 


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