A crowd gathered at the site of Orlando’s Pulse Nightclub massacre Thursday evening to protest the state’s removal of a rainbow-colored crosswalk meant to honor the 49 people gunned down at the LGBTQ+ venue nine years ago.
Orlando officials say the Florida Department of Transportation painted over the colorful crosswalk Wednesday night. It offended people affected by the Pulse tragedy and outraged Orlando leaders.
In a post on Facebook, Mayor Buddy Dyer called it "a cruel political act."
At the demonstration, U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Orlando, spoke to the crowd of about 200 people.
“And let's be clear,” he said, “this is a violent act on our community. It's an act of vandalism in the middle of the night, and just like the ICE agents terrorizing our communities wear the masks because they know they're not proud of what they're doing, that's why they did this in the dead of the night.”
‘You can’t erase our joy’
Protesters raised signs and waved large Pride flags as drivers on South Orange Avenue honked their horns. People used chalk to color the crosswalk in bright hues. The crossing is on West Esther Street at Orange Avenue.
In large blue letters, someone had written: "You can't erase our joy."
Among the many messages, 29-year-old Alexis Bishop wrote: "Queer joy rest love resistance!"
“Queer joy is resistance,” she said. “Queer rest is resistance. Queer love is resistance, when doing the necessary work, and here we all are doing the work, and we are joyful.”
But Bishop, who is pansexual, says painting over a memorial to the Pulse victims was hurtful.
“It's upsetting more than anything,” she said. “We all sit here. We're stunned, because why? Why cover it? We got the necessary permission in the first place to have it.”
A statewide effort
Earlier in the day, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis addressed the issue on X, saying: “We will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes.”
The Florida DOT directed cities to remove street art, that’s “associated with social, political or ideological messages.” They are using a new law that empowers them to crack down on non-standard traffic markings. Some cities have removed their rainbow crosswalks on their own. Others, like Key West, are pushing back.
Orlando wasn't given that chance. Officials say they received no warning.
As the protest was getting started, fragments of real rainbows could be seen in the sky. For State Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, it was sign
“Just a few moments ago, we looked up into the sky,” he said, “and there was not one, but there were two double rainbows, which is a reminder that the universe is with us.”
Minutes later, the downpour came, and erased the rainbow crossing -- once again -- and all the messages in chalk.
