San Antonio locals find workaround to Texas rainbow crosswalk ban
The LGBTQ+ symbol was banned from crosswalks in October last year, but rainbow sidewalks have cropped up in San Antonio
San Antonio’s sidewalks have been given a makeover in protest of Texas‘s Pride flag crosswalk ban.
The Pride Cultural Heritage District is well known for its iconic LGBTQ+ crosswalks, but when the ban went into place last year, the symbol was removed from the streets.
After being asked to remove a crosswalk that had been in the neighbourhood since 2018, members of the city council decided enough was enough.
“This strip represents a place where people can come together” – Michael Rendon, chair of San Antonio’s LGBTQ+ advisory board
Chair of the city’s LGBTQ+ advisory board, Michael Rendon spoke about the importance of keeping the city’s identity to local news outlet, KENS5.
“In 2026 there’s certain individuals, certain people in our community that still feel unwelcome and unsafe,” he began.
“This strip represents a place where people can come from the LGBTQ community and our allies and come and celebrate, build community. It’s a space where we can come together, be ourselves and welcome everyone from our community,” Rendon said.
The idea was put forward by councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, who wanted to form an initiative in collaboration with local LGBTQ+ organisations to return the rainbow paint, this time to the sidewalk.
Why did Greg Abbott oppose the original Pride crosswalks?
Texas governor, Greg Abbott, claimed that the original crosswalks posed a traffic safety hazard and so with this loophole, they’ve taken the cause away from the roads.
He said in his announcement that “Texans expect their taxpayer dollars to be used wisely, not advance political agendas on Texas roadways”, despite being funded by local LGBTQ+ organisations.
Abbott threatened to withhold funding if the crosswalks were not removed, despite the removal being paid for by the taxpayer.
Gina Ortiz Jones, San Antonio’s first publicly gay female Mayor, told the New York Times that she had to consider the consequences of not removing the LGBTQ+ symbol from the streets of her city.
“I appreciate what our rainbow sidewalks represent. But, I’m the mayor of a major city in Texas, so I have to think about the consequences for everyone if our governor were to take away critical funding over this issue,” Jones said.