Okay Gurls! Time to get out the paint!
Dallas’s request to the State of Texas to keep Oak Lawn’s rainbow crosswalks has been denied. I wish I could say anyone in the queer community in Dallas – or in Texas – was shocked. My friends and I have been expecting that shoe to drop since the variance was first submitted. Other cities had already removed theirs. Why would Dallas be spared the chopping block?
Were the decision only Dallas’s choice, the crosswalks might have stood a chance. Oak Lawn United Methodist Church painted their steps to match the Progress Pride flag, and the Landmark Commission allowed the steps to remain for three years as an art installation. With a possible extension. That, I was shocked by.
Because this is Texas. And like Florida, our governor and legislature will lick at the boots of the Trump Administration no matter how ridiculous the idea sounds. When Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the “roadway safety initiative” on July 1st last year, no one doubted that rainbow crosswalks would be disappearing. Duffy made that clear in his social media posts.
But what’s the next step for the queer community in Dallas?
We could follow the lead of San Antonio and install rainbow sidewalks. Even if we only painted along Cedar Springs from Reagan St. to Douglas Ave., they would be hard to miss. We could take the guerilla approach from Orlando and sneak in at night and chalk in new crosswalks. Considering the effort that went into having them installed originally then reinstalled last year, coloring them back in might be worth the effort.
Either way, perhaps the time has come to queer up Oak Lawn as much as possible. Sidewalks? Sure. Front in parking spaces along Cedar Springs? Paint each space a different color. I’m sure Oak Lawn UMC could provide info on where to get the right paint. Banners on lampposts and lights in trees? You bet. We should have one giant Pride rainbow as far down Cedar Springs as possible, so any straight person driving through will drop at least one point on the Kinsey Scale.
Because why not? Despite the claim that removal of anything “political” is a so-called safety initiative, the queer community isn’t stupid. The straight community isn’t stupid. Rainbow crosswalks aren’t distracting to drivers. Studies will tell you that. Instead, President Dumpster Fire’s administration is simply looking for another means to silence queer voices. And Texas is more than happy to go along.
