BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. (WPBF) – The rainbow colors of a pride intersection in Boynton Beach, Florida, have been painted over in black.
It wasn’t the work of vandals, but an official action by the city.
Officials say they did it, not because they wanted to, but because they had to by following an order from the Trump administration.
On Wednesday morning, Boynton Beach workers were on the job painting over the pride intersection just a block away from city hall.
Almost four years to the day after the ribbon cutting and the unveiling, the intersection is now painted black.
In a statement, city leaders say they did it to ensure full compliance with state and federal transportation mandates.
They’re referencing a July 1 social media post from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who ordered the removal of all pride intersections around the country. He said, “Taxpayers expect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks.”
A city has painted over a pride intersection following an order from the Trump administration.
“I was surprised they acted so quickly without reaching out to anyone in the community,” Palm Beach County Human Right Commission president Rand Hoch said.
Hoch says he’s disappointed city leaders chose to paint over the intersection, but he also understands they had to act on, what he calls, a threat from the federal government.
“The memoranda literally blackmails municipalities,” Hoch said. “If you don’t remove these, we are going to withhold federal and state funds.”
West Palm Beach also has a pride crosswalk. Delray Beach has a pride intersection, which was vandalized recently for the third time in four years.
There has been no indication what those city leaders plan to do, if anything.
Hoch hopes the answer is nothing at all.
“There’s no downside in recognizing a segment of the community that does something beneficial,” Hoch added.
Other rainbow crosswalks and intersections in the state could also be removed due to state and federal regulations.
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