Rainbow crosswalks are more than colorful pavement. In Texas’s historic LGBTQ+ neighborhoods, they represent visibility, belonging, and decades of work to build communities where people can live openly and safely.

These landmarks were hard-won. Community members organized, advocated, and often raised the money themselves to bring rainbow crosswalks to their neighborhoods. In Dallas, the North Texas LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce raised funds for both their installation and later repainting. Their removal erased the visible results of years of community effort and investment.

Rainbow crosswalks give neighborhoods a recognizable identity and help create a sense of safety and acceptance. For LGBTQ+ residents and visitors, they can offer a simple but powerful reassurance: you belong here.

Under Governor Greg Abbott’s administration, Texas directed cities to remove rainbow crosswalks and other decorative street markings or risk losing transportation funding. Communities including Dallas’s Oak Lawn neighborhood and San Antonio’s Pride Cultural Heritage District lost these meaningful landmarks. For many LGBTQ+ Texans, their removal sent a painful message that their visibility and community pride were unwelcome.

We call on Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa to make restoring rainbow crosswalks a priority upon taking office: reverse the Abbott administration’s restrictions, work with transportation officials to address applicable requirements, and support communities seeking to restore their crosswalks while maintaining pedestrian safety.

Restoring rainbow crosswalks would honor the people who worked and fundraised for them, reaffirm the identity of historic LGBTQ+ neighborhoods, and help rebuild a sense of welcome, safety, and belonging.