TL;DR
- Delray Beach, Florida, is keeping its Pride crosswalks despite state pressure.
- Officials initially agreed to erase them, citing “safety concerns.”
- Commissioner Rob Long called removal “a legacy of cowardice.”
- The rainbow intersection honors victims of the Pulse massacre.
- Other cities like Key West, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami Beach are also resisting the directive.
Florida vs. Pride: The Battle of the Streets
Delray Beach just threw a little rainbow tea in the face of Tallahassee. After weeks of back-and-forth over whether its Pride-painted crosswalks had to go, city leaders decided they’re staying right where they are.
The drama kicked off when Florida’s Department of Transportation, clearly running out of potholes to fix, declared rainbow road décor a “safety hazard.” City Manager Terrence Moore initially fell in line, announcing the colors would be sandblasted off. That announcement came after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called rainbow crosswalks “dangerous.” Dangerous to whom? Drivers with a fear of color?
Commissioner Rob Long wasn’t having it. He warned that erasing the intersection would leave “a legacy of cowardice and capitulation.” His words echoed loud and clear: “When do we stand our ground and when do we surrender without even a conversation?” The answer, at least in Delray Beach, is now. The commission voted to keep the Pride crosswalks intact, honoring the 49 lives lost at Pulse in 2016 just hours away in Orlando.
Pride on the Pavement
Delray Beach isn’t alone in pushing back. Key West voted to lawyer up and explore every legal trick to keep its rainbow stripes at Duval and Petronia streets. Fort Lauderdale and Miami Beach? They’re straight-up ignoring the state directive. Orlando, where the memory of Pulse is still raw, is also keeping its rainbow crosswalk in place.
But not everyone’s rolling with the resistance. Boynton Beach and West Palm Beach have already scrubbed away their Pride colors, leaving the roads a duller shade of gray.
This isn’t just about paint on pavement. For LGBTQ Floridians, it’s about refusing to vanish from public space at the whim of a governor or a bureaucrat. Pride symbols are more than decoration—they’re a lifeline of visibility in a state where queer lives are too often under attack.
Why This Matters for LGBTQ Communities
Rainbow crosswalks may look simple, but they carry weight. They signal to queer people—especially youth—that their city sees them, honors them, and protects their space. For survivors of the Pulse tragedy, and for those who lost loved ones, that paint is a public promise: “You will never be forgotten.”
Delray Beach’s decision isn’t just defiance—it’s survival. By holding the line, the city tells queer Floridians: Your colors belong here. Your grief belongs here. Your joy belongs here. In a state trying to legislate LGBTQ people into silence, keeping a rainbow intersection is nothing short of radical love.
So yes, it’s just paint. But it’s also resistance. And in Florida, resistance is everything.