SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Texas cities, including San Antonio, Houston, Austin, and Dallas, face a Friday deadline to remove rainbow-painted crosswalks or risk losing millions in state transportation funding under an order from Governor Greg Abbott. The directive, issued through the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), requires cities to eliminate “non-standard” road markings that officials say “advance political agendas” or create distractions for drivers.
The order targets intersections like San Antonio’s North Main Avenue and West Evergreen Street, located in the city’s Pride Cultural Heritage District. Pride San Antonio officials argue the markings are community symbols, not political statements. “There’s nothing illegal about this crosswalk,” said Pride San Antonio board member James Poindexter. “The politics is in [Abbott’s] brain only.”
Some cities, including Houston and Austin, have already begun removing rainbow crosswalks to preserve funding. Others, like San Antonio, plan to seek exceptions, citing data showing improved safety at those intersections.
Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones, the city’s first openly gay mayor, said she supports honoring the LGBTQ+ community in “smarter and more sustainable ways” while avoiding potential state retaliation.
TxDOT says exceptions may be granted only if cities can demonstrate “compelling public safety benefits.”
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