Citizens of Key West, Florida, voiced a defense of their city’s rainbow-decorated crosswalks during a city commission meeting on Wednesday.
“The rainbow crosswalks were paid for by our local LGBT business community as an investment in visibility and Pride. Removing them would undermine that investment, and send a troubling signal. Let’s not go backwards; let’s continue to show the world what Key West stands for,” said one speaker.
The city is responding to a June 30 memo issued by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), which cited the need for “uniform signals and traffic devices” to ensure driver and pedestrian safety. The new law requires that all signs and pavement markings comply with the FDOT Design Manual.
That manual “explicitly prohibits the application of pavement or surface art on travel lanes, paved shoulders, intersections, crosswalks, or sidewalks,” according to the June memo.
While not directly targeting rainbow crosswalks, those particular art pieces have been affected. Cities such as Boynton Beach have already removed their rainbow crosswalks in compliance with Florida’s new law. Municipalities that do not remove sidewalk art risk losing state funding, according to the memo.
Key West has been defiant on this issue, with the city council stating that it is exploring all possible legal alternatives to the FDOT’s demand.
On Monday, July 22, Key West officials released a statement saying, “The City of Key West is reaching out to fellow municipalities throughout the state, exploring a proactive approach and response to the possible restrictions on street art by the state of Florida.”
“The rainbow crosswalks at the intersection of Duval and Petronia streets are an important statement of the City’s dedication to diversity and inclusivity,” the statement continued.
This sentiment was echoed at Wednesday’s city commission meeting, as a number of community members gathered in town hall to voice their support for the rainbow sidewalks, urging the city to resist the state’s orders. The city commission voted unanimously to explore all legal options to keep the sidewalks.
Speaker Edie Hambright, representing herself and her wife, said the crosswalks represent the long history of LGBT people in Key West, calling attention to the city having elected the U.S.’s first gay mayor.
Key West became a popular tourist destination for LGBT people in the 1970s, as its relaxed atmosphere and geographic isolation made it a refuge from a national culture some found stifling, according to the LGBT tourism website OutCoast.
This LGBT tourism industry helped Key West recover from an economic downturn in the 1970s after the U.S. Navy decreased its presence on the island, according to speaker Cori Convertito, who also identified herself as a historian and board president of the Key West Business Guild.
She also called specific attention to “Fantasy Fest,” an annual 10-day adult street party begun by local LGBT business owners. While exact numbers are not public, Fantasy Fest generally brings millions of dollars into the Key West economy each year, as tens of thousands of tourists visit the city.
Speaker Pastor Madeline Baum said, “One thing I have learned is that symbols are incredibly important in sharing this message of love and belonging,” noting how her rainbow clergy stole had brought in a new member to her church.
There were no public comments in opposition to the sidewalks.
