Houston's rainbow fight: Crosswalks gone, chalk art blooms
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Rainbow-decorated sidewalks along Westheimer and Taft, the site of the former rainbow crosswalk. Photo: Shafaq Patel/Axios
Soon after Metro removed Montrose's rainbow crosswalks — under Gov. Greg Abbott's threat to withhold transportation funding — Houstonians began decorating nearby sidewalks with their own rainbows with chalk and spray paint.
The big picture: Montrose, a historically gay neighborhood now gentrified, has long symbolized Houston's LGBTQ+ communities. The grassroots push to keep rainbows on its streets reflects, as one organizer posted on Instagram, an effort "to not let them erase our history."
- Posts and comments on social media are urging people to draw more rainbows on driveways and intersections. One in the Heights already has a chalk rainbow crosswalk, and Equality Texas is sending out kits to support the effort.
What they're saying: "I, as a mayor, am not going to risk federal funding," Mayor John Whitmire said this week. "You know I have a responsibility to the entire city. I believe there's alternative options for displaying the rainbow."
Separately, in an interview with the New York Times this week, Whitmire positioned himself as a mayor who keeps his head down and avoids political fights, saying, "I don't respond to Trump — that could be counterproductive."
Zoom out: San Antonio's and Austin's mayors say they will request exemptions over their rainbow sidewalks.
The other side: "Removing or modifying the Pride crosswalks is not about erasing anyone's identity — it's about ensuring public projects are inclusive, safe, and consistent in how taxpayer resources are used. That means no special treatment for any group, including our own," conservative LGBTQ group Log Cabin Republicans said in a statement.
What we're watching: What will happen to the Black Lives Matter mural outside Yates High School.