In October 2025, following pressure from United States Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered cities across the state to remove LGBTQ+ Pride crosswalks and other road markings that “advance political agendas” and “ideologies.”
Abbott cited safety concerns and violation of state and federal guidelines as reasons to invoke the measure, which required cities to comply within 30 days or risk losing transportation funding.
Most Texas cities complied quickly, though San Antonio and Austin attempted to receive exemptions from the removal, but both were unsuccessful, according to The Texas Tribune.
So, like other cities across the country, local officials in San Antonio have come up with a creative solution: Moving displays from roadway crosswalks to sidewalks instead.
In January, San Antonio road crews removed the original rainbow crosswalks, which sat at an intersection on North Main Avenue and Evergreen Street and had been in place since 2017.
But San Antonio District 1 City Council member Sukh Kaur helped propose a new sidewalk plan with the city’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Board, and it was painted on just a few days later.
“Though we’re sad to see the removal of the Rainbow Crosswalk, we’re excited to show y’all what’s coming next for Main Street,” Kaur wrote in a statement. “This design included input from the LGBTQ+ Advisory Board, which will help ensure that the Pride Cultural Heritage District is still a vital and inclusive space in our city.”
The sidewalk displays were able to be installed without a City Council vote due to the area’s cultural heritage district designation, according to The Texas Tribune.
“We want to make sure that our community knows, while our asphalt may be regulated by the state, our sidewalks are not, and so the sidewalks are under city purview, and we want them to represent our city’s values,” Kaur told the Texas Tribune.
Some other City Council members disagreed with the sidewalk painting, objecting to the use of Public Works funds for the project. District 10 Council member Marc Whyte and District 9 Council member Misty Spears released a joint statement claiming the project would cost about $170,000 in taxpayer dollars and that it should be used on other infrastructure needs instead.
Other local officials have noted that the former rainbow crosswalks were a community-driven project, with volunteers and area businesses managing the maintenance, so as not to put a burden on city taxpayers.
Spears argued that the removal of the crosswalks was purely a matter of safety and “not intended to target San Antonio or the LGBTQ community,” according to the San Antonio Report.
Still, proponents of the new sidewalk display say the “majority of San Antonians” want to see public displays that support LGBTQ+ community members.
District 2 Council member Jalen McKee-Rodriguez responded to his colleagues’ statement.
“As a starting point, I join the majority of San Antonians who do not care what the D9 and D10 Council members have to say about the sidewalks,” McKee-Rodriguez said.
“From the beginning, this was never about traffic safety. Data shows that this intersection was safer after the installation of the crosswalks. This has always been about bigotry and the state choosing time and time again to attack the LGBTQ+ community. They hoped to make the city complicit in it.”
McKee-Rodriguez added that taxpayer funds were used to remove the original crosswalks, which, again, had no tax burden on city residents until Gov. Abbott called for their removal.
“Taxpayers wouldn’t be paying anything if Greg Abbott didn’t force us to rip up and replace a perfectly good intersection,” McKee-Rodriguez said. “Misty and Marc can direct their frustrations to his office, if they’re so concerned.”
But, in the meantime, the new, colorful sidewalks do not violate any local regulations, and Kaur and McKee-Rodriguez hope they signal an ongoing commitment to LGBTQ+ Pride in San Antonio.
“By installing rainbows on the sidewalk, we are abiding by all regulations while demonstrating even greater, more permanent visible support to the LGBTQ+ community,” McKee-Rodriguez said. “And I appreciate the majority of my colleagues’ support in this effort.”
James Poindexter, secretary and parade director for Pride San Antonio, was hoping the city would have been more committed to keeping the original crosswalks, but told KSAT that the sidewalk alternative is “great.”
“We’re all for enhancements to the neighborhood,” Poindexter said. “That’s what the dream was all along. But, you know, I just — I think that this is a time for this city to show what they have and to really stand up and fight for this.”
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Header image courtesy of VisitSanAntonio.com
