Texas Orders San Antonio to Remove Rainbow Crosswalks Amid Gov. Abbott’s Directive

The Texas Department of Transportation has ordered the city of San Antonio to remove its rainbow crosswalks by January 15.

This decision follows Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s directive that municipalities eliminate “social, political, and ideological messages” from their streets.

“Texans expect their taxpayer dollars to be used wisely, not advance political agendas on Texas roadways,” Abbott stated in a prior announcement.

“Today, I directed the Texas Department of Transportation to ensure Texas counties and cities remove any and all political ideologies from our streets,” Abbott added.

Maria Salazar, chair of San Antonio’s LGBTQIA+ Advisory Committee, said Abbott’s order was “clearly aimed at the LGBTQ+ community. Because I don’t see any other projects being targeted.”

“It’s based out of homophobia. It’s based out of fear. It’s based on erasing a whole community,” she remarked.

Krista Cover, an attorney with the City of San Antonio, stated that the city will continue to support its LGBTQ+ community by installing rainbow-colored sidewalk treatment one block north and one block south of the intersection.

The city filed an exemption request on November 5, arguing that the intersections with the rainbow crosswalks — located on North Main Avenue and East Evergreen Street within the Pride Cultural Heritage District — had fewer accidents since their installation in 2018.

Traffic Safety Division Director George Villarreal declared the agency “does not consider this exemption request acceptable” and mandated that San Antonio submit an updated exemption request addressing compliance or a removal plan by December 10.

“Failure to comply with this directive may result in the withholding or denial of state or federal funds and/or the suspension of agreements between TxDOT and the city,” Villarreal warned.

In response, Assistant City Manager John Peterek stated that the city “continues to believe that the crosswalks in question are safer than before the installation of the rainbow-colored paint, that the intersection is safer than comparable intersections, and that it demonstrated the importance of the crosswalks to the Pride Cultural Heritage District.”

“Nevertheless, the city will respect TxDOT’s decision,” Peterek added.