Governor Greg Abbott is ordering Dallas and other Texas cities to remove rainbow crosswalks within 30 days or risk losing state and federal transportation funding.
In a directive issued this week, Abbott said the colorful crosswalks promote “political or social ideology” that doesn’t belong on taxpayer-funded streets. The order instructs cities to replace the rainbow designs with standard traffic markings or face potential funding cuts tied to roadway maintenance and improvement projects.
The governor’s directive comes two months after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ordered similar removals in his state, citing concerns over government neutrality in public spaces.
Several Texas cities, including Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio, have installed rainbow crosswalks in recent years to celebrate LGBTQ Pride and promote inclusivity. Local leaders have not yet said how they plan to respond to the governor’s order.
In the Cedar Springs neighborhood of Dallas, KRLD spoke to Lizzie about the Governor's order:
"I did see what he said. I think that it's very upsetting, because this is such a vibrant area where people feel very safe. I think it's hard in Texas to find an area like that for queer people or allies. We were just talking about how they repainted it (the crosswalk at Cedar Springs & Throckmortin) in the last year or two. So very upsetting. I feel very bad for the community and being a part of it, it kind of sucks. And we work like right there on the corner, so like seeing it, it's just sad."
The Texas Department of Transportation has been directed to monitor compliance and report back to the governor’s office by early November.
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