{"id":500118,"date":"2026-01-08T00:31:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T00:31:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/500118\/"},"modified":"2026-01-08T00:31:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T00:31:14","slug":"san-antonio-moves-ahead-with-pride-district-rainbow-sidewalk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/500118\/","title":{"rendered":"San Antonio moves ahead with Pride District rainbow sidewalk"},"content":{"rendered":"

San Antonio will begin work this week to install rainbow-themed sidewalk art along Main Street in the city\u2019s Pride Cultural Heritage District \u2014 a step the city previously outlined<\/a> when it agreed to remove the district\u2019s rainbow crosswalks after the Texas Department of Transportation denied an exemption request.<\/p>\n

District 1 Councilwoman Sukh Kaur said in a statement<\/a> posted Wednesday on Instagram that crews from the city\u2019s Public Works Department will begin work this week. Minor sidewalk repairs will take place before painting begins on the new art installation.<\/p>\n

Kaur said the design was developed with input from the city\u2019s LGBTQ+ Advisory Board and is intended to maintain the district\u2019s visibility and inclusivity following the state\u2019s removal of the crosswalks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThough we\u2019re sad to see the removal of the Rainbow Crosswalk, we\u2019re excited to show y\u2019all what\u2019s coming next for Main Street,\u201d Kaur wrote.<\/p>\n

The planned artwork has drawn criticism from District 9 Council member Marc Whyte and District 10 Council member Misty Spears, who released a joint statement Wednesday objecting to the use of Public Works funds for the project.<\/p>\n

The council members said public money should prioritize basic infrastructure needs and argued taxpayer dollars should not be used to fund individual viewpoints.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to their statement, the sidewalk project is expected to cost about $170,000.<\/p>\n

\"\"The new rainbow sidewalk design to be installed this week. Credit: Screenshot \/ Instagram<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen taxpayer dollars are involved, our focus should be on addressing these essential infrastructure needs that directly impact public safety and our residents\u2019 day-to-day quality of life,\u201d Whyte wrote. \u201cAs Americans, we have the right to freely express ourselves. If private individuals or businesses wish to use their money to make a statement, they have the right to do so. But to use public dollars to paint colored sidewalks instead of allocating that money to core infrastructure needs is not in the best interest of our citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n

City officials have previously noted<\/a> that the now-removed rainbow crosswalks were a community-driven project, with residents and nearby businesses raising funds for the colored striping and maintenance, \u201cvoluntarily removing the burden from city taxpayers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Spears said her opposition is also centered on the use of public money.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe the elimination of the rainbow crosswalks was an important roadway safety decision made by the state of Texas and not intended to target San Antonio or the LGBTQ community,\u201d she wrote. \u201cProtected free speech is what makes America the best country in the world. However, tax dollars should not fund individual viewpoints.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

In response to the joint statement, District 2 Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, whom Kaur credited with proposing the sidewalk art concept, criticized the objections and defended the project.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAs 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,\u201d McKee-Rodriguez said. \u201cFrom 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

McKee-Rodriguez echoed language previously used by Assistant City Manager John Peterek in a Nov. 25 letter<\/a> responding to TxDOT\u2019s denial of the exemption request.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe City continues to believe that the crosswalks in question are safer than before the installation of the rainbow-colored paint, that the intersection is safer than comparable nearby intersections, and that it demonstrated the importance of the crosswalks to the Pride Cultural Heritage District,\u201d Peterek wrote. \u201cNevertheless, the City will respect TxDOT\u2019s decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

McKee-Rodriguez added that taxpayer dollars were used to remove the privately maintained rainbow crosswalks and said the sidewalk art complies with state regulations while preserving visibility for the LGBTQ+ community.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy installing rainbows on the sidewalk, we are abiding by all regulations while demonstrating even greater, more permanent visible support to the LGBTQ+ community and I appreciate the majority of my colleagues\u2019 support in this effort,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is hypocritical to all of a sudden pretend to care about frugality and taxpayer dollars when they didn\u2019t mind the City wasting tens of thousands of dollars replacing an intersection that was perfectly safe as is, and being maintained privately.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

McKee-Rodriguez said no additional cost would have been incurred had the state not required the crosswalks\u2019 removal, and suggested concerns about spending be directed to the governor\u2019s office.<\/p>\n

\u201cTaxpayers wouldn\u2019t be paying anything if Greg Abbott didn\u2019t force us to rip up and replace a perfectly good intersection,\u201d he wrote. \u201cMisty and Marc can direct their frustrations to his office, if they\u2019re so concerned.\u201d<\/p>\n

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