About 100 Orlando residents used chalk Thursday to restore a rainbow crossing honoring victims of the Pulse Nightclub Massacre after the Florida Department of Transport paved it in the middle of the night.
Installed in 2017, the Rainbow Pride Crosswalk commemorates 49 people killed in a massive pulse fire. It is also a featured feature of the planned Permanent Pulse Memorial, which recently received $400,000 in state funds, according to an affiliate of Orlando CBS. wkmg.
But the crosswalk along Orange Avenue, near the old nightclub, was aiming to remove state authorities after U.S. Transport Secretary Sean Duffy sent a letter to the governor asking the governor to remove the Rainbow crosswalk and other street art. He argued that they could “distract” the driver and lead to more crashes.
Duffy’s fatwa against the rainbow crosswalk is in line with the Trump administration’s push to roll back what is called the “awakening” ideology. It also reflects complaints from social conservatives who have long opposed public displays or symbols representing the LGBTQ community, claiming that LGBTQ identities should not be recognized or praised in public spaces.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has approved Duffy’s orders and warns the Florida Department of Transport (FDOT) will do it for them if they do not remove rainbow crossings or street art.
“We do not allow state roads to be commanded for political purposes,” the governor wrote to X.
In accordance with Desantis’ directive, the FDOT crews were painted on the crosswalk early on August 21st.
“In the middle of the night, FDOT was painted on the rainbow crossing at the Pulse Memorial. Where 49 mostly LGBTQ+ people were killed. A tragedy where they worked hard to find strength in pain. I wrote it in a thread x.
“It’s not a political statement in any way, and caring for people from all backgrounds is not intended to be a political statement, and more visible crosswalks can also help to increase visibility and safety,” Eskamani continued. “But the political, the authoritative, the murder of 49 lives and the rudeness of the entire community will sneak into the city in the middle of the night and erase the rainbow crossings established with FDOT approval!”
Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan accused FDOT of making “political statements” targeting the LGBTQ community, calling the rainbow crossing “slap in the face.”
“If they’re so proud of it, why did they do it in the middle of the night?” Sheehan asked.
“The ward sick people who are threatened by our lives should feel lucky that they don’t have to bury their loved ones. Then we see the nation come and fill their memories.”
In a statement to WKMG, FDOT said it “is an obligation to ensure the safety and consistency of public roads and transportation systems.” This includes “ensure that our roads are not used for social, political, or ideological interests.”
All day long, volunteers used chalk to protest its removal, temporarily recreating the rainbow stripes on the crosswalk. Local resident Dallas Perdieu was among them.
“I was just fixing things that shouldn’t be… it was painted in the first place,” Perdue told Orlando ABC Affiliate. WFTV.
State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith (D-Orlando), the first openly gay Latinx elected to the Florida State Legislature in 2016, condemned the state’s actions and praised residents who helped recur the crosswalk.
He said Newsweek“In the end, we drew our neighborhood with more rainbows, reminding everyone that love always wins.”
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
