Gov. Greg Abbott is threatening to withhold funding for roads from Dallas and other Texas cities if they do not remove rainbow crosswalks.
On Wednesday, Abbott said he directed the Texas Department of Transportation to ensure cities and counties erase “any and all political ideologies from our streets,” including symbols and flags. Most of Texas’ largest cities — including Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio — have rainbow crosswalks.
“Texans expect their taxpayer dollars to be used wisely, not advance political agendas on Texas roadways,” Abbott said in a statement.
The transportation department notified Texas cities and counties Wednesday they have 30 days to comply with the directive or lose state and federal transportation funding and partnerships.
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A cyclist bikes past the rainbow crosswalks on Cedar Springs and Throckmorton St. in Oak Lawn on May 1, 2020.
Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer
Texas’ order comes three months after the Trump administration cracked down on what it considers political demonstrations on public streets. In July, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy asked states to join a national safety initiative aimed at removing artwork and political messaging from roads.
“Taxpayers expect their dollars to fund safe streets,” Duffy wrote on X, “not rainbow crosswalks.”
Taxpayers expect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks.
Political banners have no place on public roads. I’m reminding recipients of @USDOT roadway funding that it’s limited to features advancing safety, and nothing else. It’s that simple. https://t.co/hA5FBsVFXO
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) July 1, 2025
Cities across Texas and the U.S. have painted rainbow crosswalks as signs of solidarity with the LGBTQ community.
In Dallas, a rainbow crosswalk was painted on Cedar Springs Road in Oak Lawn, the historic heart of the city’s LGBTQ scene, in 2020. Cedar Springs has long served as the city’s safe space for LGBTQ residents and the former route of the city’s pride parade. Private donations, not taxpayer funds, footed the bill.
The crosswalk was repainted earlier this year, according to a report in the Dallas Voice.
City leaders have not publicly responded to Abbott’s order, and a spokesperson for the city responded to an email from The Dallas Morning News but did not say what the city plans to do.
Dallas City Council members unanimously approved plans for the rainbow crosswalk in 2019. Omar Narvaez, who is openly gay and served on the Dallas City Council until this year, told The News he was disheartened by Abbott’s order.
“It’s unfortunate the governor wants to discriminate against a group of people,” Narvaez said. “Nobody is hurt by a beautiful crosswalk. It makes people proud of their communities, and they feel welcome here.”
Texas is not the only state ordering the removal of the gay pride displays. In Florida this summer, work crews painted over a rainbow crosswalk honoring the victims of the 2016 massacre at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, angering many in the community.
This week, a rainbow crosswalk celebrating the history and contributions of the LGBTQ community in Miami Beach was removed from the city’s iconic Ocean Drive entertainment district.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.