Orlando leaders are denouncing the state’s decision to paint over a rainbow-colored crosswalk outside the Pulse nightclub, calling the move an attack on LGBTQ lives and a political act by Governor Ron DeSantis’ administration.
Mayor Buddy Dyer said the overnight removal was “callous” and “a cruel political act.” Installed in 2017, the crosswalk honored the 49 victims of the 2016 Pulse massacre, which at the time was the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.
“This crosswalk not only enhanced safety and visibility for the large number of pedestrians visiting the memorial, it also served as a visual reminder of Orlando’s commitment to honor the 49 lives taken,” Dyer said.
State Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith, an openly gay Orlando Democrat, called the move cowardly:
“They did this in the middle of the night because they were scared of the resistance, because they know what they did was wrong.”
State ban on “surface art”
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) did not respond to questions about the removal. However, the agency has been warning cities across Florida—including Delray Beach, Key West, and St. Petersburg—that rainbow crosswalks and other street art must be removed or municipalities could risk losing state transportation funding.
In June, FDOT Assistant Secretary Will Watts issued a memo banning “surface art” on state roads, defining it as markings with “social, political or ideological messages” that do not serve traffic-control purposes.
Governor DeSantis defended the move Thursday, writing on social media:
“We will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes.”
Pulse tragedy and community response
The June 12, 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting left 49 dead and 53 wounded during a Latin Night celebration before police killed gunman Omar Mateen, who had pledged allegiance to ISIS.
After the rainbow crosswalk was painted over, residents gathered at the site waving pride flags and chalking rainbow colors onto the pavement. Afternoon rain washed their drawings away, but LGBTQ advocates vowed the community’s visibility will not be erased.
“There will be a rainbow mural nearby that is even bigger, queerer and more colorful than they ever imagined,” Smith promised.
A permanent Pulse memorial is already planned for the site.
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