Rainbows have returned to the pavement of North Main Avenue after the city unveiled its new Pride sidewalks Sunday afternoon.
After the removal of the rainbow crosswalks in the Pride Cultural Heritage District, Planned Parenthood of South Texas is painting its own pavement at health centers in San Antonio and around the Rio Grande Valley.
Crews were seen Monday morning beginning the process of removing rainbow crosswalks from San Antonio’s Pride Cultural Heritage District, after months of back-and-forth between city and state leaders.
The city is already working to add rainbow treatment to the sidewalks along the stretch of North Main Avenue, known as the “gay strip.”
San Antonio will install rainbow-colored sidewalk treatments on North Main Avenue in order to “recognize and support the LGBTQ+ community,” according to a city spokesperson.
At the direction of Gov. Greg Abbott, state transportation officials told local leaders to remove crosswalk art often used to mark historically LGBTQ+ neighborhoods or risk losing millions in funding.
Several LGBTQ+ organizations and allied organizations rallied together Thursday evening to fight for the rainbow crosswalk to stay in the Pride Cultural Heritage District.
A community forum was held Thursday night in the Pride district to talk about LGBTQ+ protections.
Pride San Antonio, along with City Council Districts 1 and 2, hosted the Official Pride Cultural Heritage District Dedication Ceremony on Friday evening.
The City of San Antonio has officially designated a new cultural district, the Pride Cultural Heritage District, in the Tobin Hill community near North Main Avenue.